Species: Rufescent Tiger Heron Tigrisoma Lineatum Snake? Garden Tree Boa? Anyone Certain? | Location: Rio Cristalino Lodge Preserve, The Amazon, Brazil
This Tiger Heron was spotted on a rock along the Rio Cristalino river in the Amazon just before it jumped to a lower perch with a snake it had captured. ( I admit, from the snake's perspective it well could have felt that it had grabbed the heron, having tied itself in an overhand knot around the heron's bill!). The potential of getting this portrait against the dark background of the amazonian riverbank was obvious, but tempered by the knowledge that I was going to have to shoot at a very high iso to freeze the action. Serendipity allowed this "in flight" image of the two. Shortly after this hop, the heron flew downriver where we observed that the bird had, indeed, put the snake on the menu. Tiger herons are very beautiful and common sightings but we were all thrilled at the unique opportunity to capture this portrait among many in the spectacular surroundings of the Amazon basin.
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