One of the most popular and iconic fish in Japan is the Japanese koi fish, often referred to as “koi.” These fish are celebrated in Japanese culture for their beauty, grace, and symbolism and having a rich history in Japan, where they are highly regarded as symbols of luck, prosperity, and perseverance.

The koi come in a wide variety of stunning colors and patterns, and are often featured in decorative ponds, gardens, and even art and literature.

In one of my previous articles I mentioned that I spent years following and documenting a nest of Great Blue Herons. Year after year I watched them almost daily when they would start to build their nest, the mating and then raise their young.

The nest happened to be next to an expensive neighborhood. One neighbor in particular happened to have a rather large Koi pond in his backyard. He had netting across the top to keep the birds out.

One day I had been sitting for a couple of hours beneath the nest watching and photographing the heron activity.

Mom had flown in and had nothing for the hungry chicks.

They tried desperately to pull something, anything out of moms mouth but she had nothing to give. After few minutes she flew off and returned about 10 minutes later with a huge meal.

WOW! I couldn’t believe my eyes. Somehow she had managed to skirt under the netting to the koi pond, grab a koi fish and come back to the nest. The excitement from the chicks could be heard all over the neighborhood. Mom stood there with fish in her beak while the chicks were begging for a taste.

But I guess mom thought better of the idea and decided to swallow the entire fish whole and not share with her offspring's. Down the hatch it went, she took one look at the youngsters and off she flew. Leaving them nothing but a bewildered look on their faces. I waited for a long time to see if she would come back and regurgitate the food but nope.

So another day in the world of avian life.