A HUNGRY heron has been caught on camera dipping a frog in water before swallowing the struggling creature alive.
The short clip shows the desperate amphibian trying to kick and squirm free as the large bird squashes down during the ferocious tussle between the pair.
But the unfortunate frog soon gives up and surrenders to its fate as the bigger bird gulps it down head first after a few dunks in the water.
Filmed in Edinburgh earlier this month by amateur wildlife photographer John O’Rourke, the heron takes around 20 seconds to eventually swallow the prey.
The grey heron was filmed shaking the poor frog in an attempt to subdue it and dunks it in and out of the water three times.
As the bird lifts its beak out of the water, it throws its head back and whilst the frog is still wriggling around, it swallows it whole.
54 year-old construction worker John from Kinghorn, Fife, caught the bird preparing its dinner on April 1.
He, along with another two walkers, spotted the bird stalking the pond life and stopped with his camera poised.
John said: “I was out taking wildlife photographs and came upon two walkers and
we were stood talking and I saw the heron walking around.
“I saw it stalking it’s prey so I started taking pictures and when I saw it grab the large frog, started filming it with my camera.”
John, who also runs a wild group, Wildlife in Scotland, said he was “pleased” to have captured the hungry heron.
He continued: “I was pleased to capture something that happens often but not seen.
“The heron has been stalking this pond for weeks as there are a lot of frogs around at this time
of year.”
Commenting on the clip, viewers were perplexed at the bird’s antics.
Sally Taylor-Crouse said: “It came from the water and still the heron washes it!”
Linda Allan wrote: “That frog must still be alive in his stomach for a while I would think. What a way to go.”
The native UK bird can have wingspans of up to 2 metres (over 6ft), according to British Garden Birds, and eat mainly fish, amphibians and small mammals, and occasionally birds.
The tall birds are known for standing still for long periods of time to catch their prey and are found throughout the country.
