One of the large, long-legged wading birds was spotted recently enjoying a meal of frogs in the retention pond at the Village Cooperative senior living community on North Taft Avenue in Mason City.

Roger Ennis spotted the bird and snapped a couple of photos as it waded along the shoreline.

Great blue herons, with wing spans up to almost 6 feet, eat fish, frogs, reptiles, crayfish, small mammals and big bugs, according to the Iowa DNR. They hunt along rivers, streams and marshy areas, and build their nests high in nearby large trees.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, April of 2016