Plants and Animals at Point Reyes

We had followed elk on foot - from a respectful distance - and by car. The clouds blew in as we headed back to our base camp in the early evening when we spotted a small herd bisecting our path. This male came close to our parked car and he seemed to pose for us for a few moments.

This great blue heron sat motionless against the tall, green stalks, facing at a right angle from us, seeming to look into the expanse of Abbot Lagoon. Then it turned and walked just into the stalks, motionless again for at least a couple of minutes. Then, in an eye blink, it struck at something in the dark beyond it, and jerking back, revealed to us the prey in its beak.

Struggling mightily, the snake fought against its inevitable fate, coiling and uncoiling, wrapping itself around the beak of the heron. At some point, the large bird managed to tilt up its head while dropping the head of the snake into its gullet, and the rest of the slithery reptile soon followed.