Probably a few to many photographs here, but this is the time of year to catch these birds at their best.

Below a series with a Great Blue passing through a swamp with nesting materials. And, a great accent background. Again, the best time of year.

The first month of mating season the Heron are busy for a few hours a day building and patching their nests. They are much too focused on the chores to pay much attention to a photographer on the waters edge.

Sometimes, like here, the materials are what you would expect. Other times it’s a tiny twig, or maybe a huge branch the female just tosses.

I hope to get a few more like this before the Egrets crowd the rookery. Then there is a different type of image, chaos.

Charleston, South Carolina.