This was one of the first encounters of the day.
Doesn’t get much better.
Great Blue Heron
Category Archives: Heron
Tricolored Heron
I am a big admirer of the Great Blue Heron, maybe my favorite of all birds.
However, the Tricolored are still the prettiest of all.
Donnelley, South Carolina.
Tricolored, Ashley River
This was at the start of a long circular dike along the Ashley River. A few trees, some long dead, hang over the water making a favorite rest stop for these herons.
At this point the bird was hot and gasping. Me too.
Walking by I grabbed these from different angles. I’m not sure I even stopped, there was shade ahead and that was my real goal.
Flight School, Little Blue Heron
Two Little Blue Herons flying in circles, because they can.
We call this ‘flight school’ since these are young Herons, still white and learning.
The adults teach them flight by keeping just ahead of the young ones while holding food.
Flight School, Little Blue HeronOnce older they fly in circles chasing each other. Fun to watch, hard to photograph.
Tall Grass And Tall Birds
Fall grass and reeds reached their peak height about now. Looking out over the marshes doesn’t give you an appreciation though until you have something in the shot for perspective.
Throw in a full grown adult Great Blue, at around 5 feet (1.5 meters), now it’s impressive.
I can tell you, when inside these marshes a person will see absolutely nothing around them.
Maybe that’s why you usually see the herons along the edges. They don’t want to wander in there either.
Hoping I Don’t See Him, Heron
Taken as I walked by a marsh trunk.
Tricolored and Night Herons were sticking close to all the trunks. I didn’t see any water flowing to push the fish out. They must know something I don’t.
Great Blue At Work
Morning sun and color with a Great Blue Heron working in a marsh.
Night Heron
It’s not often a Yellow-crowned Night Heron gives you almost unlimited opportunities. This juvenile was comfortable on the trunk and I guess we were at a good distance for him.
Click here to view Ellen’s post of this trunk.
My shots here were taken at 3 different angles. I was walking up a trail across from him grabbing images as I went. I was expecting a flight shot at some point.
No flight shots, he was going no where. The trunk gave him an open view around the canal and marsh. He was going nowhere.
This day was much like others we have been having around Bear Island and the basin this year. As always there were multiple single animal opportunities but no large quantities of flocking / migrating birds yet.
Bear Island, South Carolina.