Great Blue Heron with nesting materials and yellow flowers in the distance – Nikon D200, handheld, f7.1, 1/350, ISO 160, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light
A friend of mine posted some photos of the man made Great Blue Heron rookery at Farmington Bay WMA on Facebook yesterday and the photo reminded me of how much sooner the Great Blue Herons I photographed in Florida started courting, nest building, and raising their young than the herons do here in northern Utah. I’ve photographed Great Blue Herons already on their nests by December and January in Florida. They nest earlier in the year to beat the heat there while here the herons here wait longer to nest because of the extreme cold temperatures we have in Utah.
Almost ten years ago a friend and I were were walking through the woods near the north beach of Fort De Soto County Park to get to an area near the water where Spotted Sandpipers could be found when a shadow crossed over the ground in front of us. We both stopped walking immediately and stood still as a Great Blue Heron landed in front of us and picked up a piece of vegetation so close to where we stood that I felt my only option was to take portraits of the heron. Even if I had backed up the zoom on my lens to 80mm I still couldn’t have fit the entire heron in the frame and if I had moved to back up the heron may have been startled and would have flown away.
Portrait of a Great Blue Heron with nesting material – Nikon D200, handheld, f7.1, 1/500, ISO 160, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light
It seemed that the heron was aware of our presence but didn’t seem to be alarmed because we stood as still as statues and the only sound in that section of the woods was our cameras firing away. The heron strutted around for a few seconds with the nesting material in its bill before it lifted off and flew away.
It felt amazing to have that Great Blue Heron gift us with its presence for those few seconds. You just never know what might happen when you are out looking for birds.
These photos were taken mid morning on February 1, 2009.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Great Blue Heron photos plus facts and information about this species.
WHAT a privilege. And a stunning portrait series.
Absolutely gorgeous! I’d definitely call these a “wall-worthy” pair of portraits. GBHs are among my very favorite avian species. Thank you for the treat today! 🙂
very nice close up…thanks Mia
Since I have a prime lens (300mm + 1.4x extender) I often have to cut off the feet or half of the body of some of my heron shots. Focusing and centering on the eye was an excellent option for you!
Lovely