I was convinced this heron would grab a small minnow here.
Each time I thought he was ready another quick shutter press. Shooting high speed that means a minimum of three photos.
He never went for the minnows, I had a large number of this bird…exactly like this. 😊
Walking down a trail at a local swamp I noticed this Great Blue frozen in place. He was doing his best to be invisible.
Truth is he was standing maybe 10 feet off to my right as I walked by. Taking this shot I did the ‘no eye contact’ trick. It worked. He never moved and I walked right by.
I had seen him fly under the moss and land out of sight. He just didn’t come back out.
I’m not great at waiting, and of course the Great Blues are. However, as I was about to give up he jumped out heading back to the rookery trees.
As a reward he flew right by giving me time to get these.
Great Blues are so darn elegant in flight!
This last shot is a nice example of what the swamps, and these birds, are like.
I may have shot this hanging out the car window. One of those ‘STOP…’ !
Several times we came on the smaller herons standing in the mangroves. After the light started to fade the green colors reflected into the water like this.
Why they are called Night Herons (Yellow-crowned).
The big difference between shooting in a marsh versus a swamp is the distance of the subject. In swamps the birds are comfortable with being closer, and often initiate it themselves.
Below a heron walked in front of me and began hunting in the shallows.
I stayed on dry ground (big surprise) and the Great Blue wandered in the cut nearby.
I’m not sure if he caught anything. Eventually he casual walked the other direction.
Swamp Rookery, Magnolia Plantation, Charleston.
It’s that time of year here, Great Blue Herons nesting.
If we are lucky, and work a little, a good spot in a swamp gives us the opportunity for photograph scenes like this for a good while. Once the big birds get motivated for the day there are multiple foraging trips to catch.
BTW, he gets motivated when she tells him he is 😁.
He jumped up, and so did I. Never did see him there until this first shot.
Herons were around in these reeds, I had seen some earlier. I just didn’t expect one this close.
I don’t think he expected me either.
A rookery was off on an island in this marsh. Not only were there Great Blues, there were also Spoonbills building nests. While it was a little far we watched the activity for a while.
Orlando Wetlands, Christmas, Florida.
