I was pleased, and a little surprised, to have caught this series of the Black-crowned Night Heron. When on a mission these may be the fastest of the Herons.
The bird had come from around the back of this Cypress, almost in a circle, looking to land here. I missed as many as I captured in this sequence.
The tree is part of a small island where smaller wading birds nest and roost each year.
It was the Snowy Egret I was planning on catching while disappearing in the Cypress. That didn’t work out but glad I was shooting wide.
Last minute I noticed the Black-crowned Night Heron. He didn’t look very happy.
I can almost hear him… ‘darned Snowy are always trouble’. š¤£
I noticed this Green Heron focused and ready. At the time my plan was to grab a few shots and wait him out.
Yeah right.
Finally I gave him the win. It’s impossible for me to out wait a Green Heron.
So impossible that Ellen came by, long after I was gone and yes the same spot.
She did say he was ultimately rewarded with a catch of some kind.
Probably the prettiest, and most under appreciated of the herons.
Tricolored Heron.
This small Heron was just part of the reeds, as long as he didnāt move. Perfect camouflage.
There were Whistling Ducks here and while trying to get an angle for a shot the Tricolor started to move off. He gave himself away. Naturally I photographed him too.
At the time I wasnāt sure these would be any good. Too busy in the background. I kept them because the scene was a nice presentation of the marshlands here.
Bear Island, South Carolina.
Finally !!
These are shots I almost never get. I tell people about this ‘odd ball’ Green HeronĀ behavior, but photographs are hard to come by. Maybe there are 5 – 6 on this entire web site out of the hundreds of Green Heron images.
Green Herons lick their lips. Yep, they have no lips. Doesn’t stop them though.
OK, maybe they like to flick their tongue out a lot. It’s still a strange thing for a Heron. I have a few more shots from this series still to be viewed. I hope to have more ‘lapping’.
Best viewed large.
I don’t know what he was watching, but it really had his interest.
Another few months and this bird will have lost all the white feathers and turned a deep slate blue. It only took him 18 months to do it.
I visit this old abandon rookery out of habit. None of the small wading birds nest here now. A shame since you could see hundreds of small herons and egrets here.
Yet here was an adult Little Blue Heron, up in a dead snag looking the place over. So, maybe next year they will come back. You never really know why they leave or return.
