Great Blue Heron standing on a rock in a mountain creek – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2000, ISO 500, -1.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Yesterday morning I had a great time photographing birds in the Wasatch Mountains and took some interesting photos of a male Belted Kingfisher being dive bombed by a Barn Swallow but today I wanted to share this photo of a heron in a mountain creek.
I love seeing Great Blue Herons at high elevations. This riparian habitat is so very different from where I first started photographing them in Florida on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico and in wetlands, marshes, inland lakes, and along the Tampa Bay.
When I found this Great Blue Heron standing on a rock surrounded by the fast moving waters of a mountain creek I knew I wanted photos of it. I loved the setting with the dark rushing water, the stately pose of the heron, and the lovely light. This image is full frame and simply resized for web presentation.
But I missed what could have been some great action photos of this heron after it left the rock and waded out into the creek to hunt for food. Within a second after starting to move forward on the road I watched as the heron stabbed its bill into the water and come up with a small fish while the water splashed around the Great Blue.
As a bird photographer sometimes it is the shots I have missed, for whatever reason, that stand out ever so sharply in my mind.
Life is good. Stay safe.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Great Blue Heron photos plus facts and information about this species.
I envy the Heron. It’s unusually hot [96 degrees] here in San Diego today and standing in a creek in the Wasatch Mtns., sounds wonderful. Great pic Mia.
Just waiting for some fresh fish!
The GBH is such a magnificent bird! So cool to see one in the mountains. I like his “faraway” look and the moving water.
Who knew that photographers and fishermen had the longing ‘for the one which got away’ in common.
And thank you for this stately beauty who didn’t escape your lens.
It was surprising the first time I saw a GBH at a high elevation mountain lake. I always though of them as a marsh ans coastal bird.
Wonderful shot Mia
A stately bird indeed! The few shots I have ever gotten of a heron actually grasping its catch are far outnumbered by my tries, which are usually “stalk- stab-splash-swallow… click”
What a peaceful setting! Love this shot!