Blue Heron

One of the most interesting animals found along streams and creeks is the great blue heron. Although the blue heron does not live in the water, it is seen hunting for food there. The heron has a very broad diet. It eats anything it can fit in its mouth. Its diet consists of fish, frogs, turtles, snakes, and any mammal it can catch. Blue herons have amazing eyesight which is used to help snatch fish out of the water. It uses its sharp beak to stab fish and reptiles. They eat their prey whole, and have occasionally been seen choking on food that is too large for its throat. Blue herons generally grow from 3-5 feet tall making them one of the biggest birds in Pennsylvania. Blue herons only have predators when they are young. Crows, hawks, and other birds of prey eat young blue herons. Once they reach adulthood, these predators do not play a role in the deaths of blue herons. Great blue herons are also endangered, so humans are not allowed to kill them.

Great Blue Heron
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/images/field_guide/Great_Blue_Heron_page_image.jpg

Great Blue Heron eating a snake
http://gallery.photo.net/photo/9708213-md.jpg

Frogs

Frogs are amphibious creatures that are found all around the world. There are around 4,000 different known species of frogs. Out of those 4,000 types, only 17 are found in Pennsylvania. Two of the main frogs that are commonly found in creeks are the bull frog and northern leopard frog. The most abundant species is the bull frog, found in almost any body of water. They are rather large with a leaf green color. Bull frogs are most known for their extremely loud mating calls. They do this to show their dominance over younger frogs. They are mainly carnivorous, eating almost anything they can. They have a wide ranging diet that consists of insects, smaller frogs, and any small mammals they can catch. They play a huge role in keeping the insect population in check. The northern leopard frog is very similar to the bull frog, except for its slightly smaller size and beautiful coloring. It is easily identified cause of its green body covered in brown spots. Its diet is almost the same as the bull frog, eating almost anything they can fit in their mouths. Both the bull frog and northern leopard frog can lay a massive amount of eggs. Each can lay from 6,000-20,000 eggs at a single time. These eggs have an awful taste to them, making predators less likely to eat them. The babies aren't usually prey until they hatch as tadpoles. Once they hatch, tadpoles are easy food for fish and other animals.

Adult Bull Frog

http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/bullfrog.htm

This is a link to a video of a male bull frogs mating call- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M02_dnl9zCA

Northern Leopard Frog
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Northern_Leopard_Frog_Ontario_1.JPG