Ardea herodias

Great Blue Heron stalking prey in morning light

By |2022-01-20T04:16:58-06:00December 3rd, 2014|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

As common as Great Blue Herons are throughout North America I am always happy to photograph these prehistoric looking birds.

Great Blue Heron hunkered down against winter’s brutal cold

By |2022-12-23T09:22:55-06:00November 16th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Last December I photographed this Great Blue Heron as it hunkered down against the brutal cold at the edge of the water in a marsh.

Great Blue Heron’s flight over Farmington Bay

By |2023-11-21T14:47:12-06:00August 14th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This Great Blue Heron landed briefly on a willow that was along the road at Farmington Bay but before I could get my exposure set correctly it took flight.

Glover Pond with Great Blue Herons and White-faced Ibis

By |2023-09-15T14:54:55-05:00August 4th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Utah, White-faced Ibises|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday I focused on a few wading birds I saw at Glover Pond near the Great Salt Lake Nature Center and that include Great Blue Herons and White-faced Ibis.

Wind Blown Great Blue Heron Photographed Using Different Angles

By |2024-03-02T07:01:26-06:00March 21st, 2014|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

These Great Blue Heron photos were taken of the same bird, photographed at same location on the same day just one minute apart.

Great Blue Heron’s Gift

By |2021-04-17T19:13:00-05:00January 5th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

In January in Florida the Great Blue Herons are already going into breeding plumage and have begun courtship displays and have started building their nests.

Great Blue Heron On Ice With Ice

By |2024-03-11T14:35:44-05:00December 18th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It might look like this Great Blue Heron is hacking up some type of fluid seen in between and to the left of its bill but that is actually a hunk of ice attached to the heron's breast feathers.

Great Blue Heron at Farmington Bay WMA

By |2021-08-19T06:29:28-05:00November 26th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Great Blue Herons are year round residents at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area here in northern Utah which means they deal with bitter cold, snow covered ground and icy water.

Great Blue Heron’s reaction to a Great Egret’s intrusion

By |2021-08-19T06:30:27-05:00November 20th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Back in March of 2009 while I was photographing a Great Blue Heron on the north beach of Fort De Soto County Park in Florida a Great Egret flew in and walked close to the Great Blue Heron and me.

Great Blue Heron up close and not so close

By |2024-03-24T08:58:16-05:00August 26th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

One December morning in 2008 I was sitting in the sand at Fort De Soto County Park's north beach in Florida when a Great Blue Heron came up and perched on a driftwood stump that had washed up onto the shore.

Missing Fort De Soto

By |2023-01-15T06:17:36-06:00August 7th, 2013|Categories: American Oystercatchers, Birds, Brown Pelicans, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Greater Yellowlegs, Marbled Godwits, Pinellas County, Ring-billed Gulls, Roseate Spoonbills, Semipalmated Plovers, Short-billed Dowitchers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Some days I find myself missing Fort De Soto so much it hurts, the birds I found there and the entire experience of just being there. It is just such an amazing place, how could I not miss it?

Great Blue Heron Portraits from Florida and Utah

By |2021-08-19T07:01:56-05:00July 18th, 2013|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

In Florida I found it easy to get close up images of Great Blue Herons because quite often they are used to the presence of humans but here in Utah that isn't the case and Great Blue Herons are sort of skittish.

Shades of Blue – Wildflowers, Birds, Sky and Sea

By |2024-03-28T16:54:41-05:00April 17th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Honeymoon Island State Park, Lazuli Buntings, Little Blue Herons, Montana, Mountain Bluebirds, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, San Rafael Swell area, St. Thomas, USVI, Utah, Wildflowers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Last week I was Thinking Pink so this week I thought I would focus on the shades of blues found in wildflowers, birds, the sky and seas.

Great Blue Herons In Florida And Utah

By |2022-10-29T03:34:28-05:00February 13th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Great Blue Herons are year round residents in both Florida and Utah although conditions during the winter months can be starkly different for these large wading birds in the two locations and climates.

Some fun with birds from yesterday

By |2023-01-18T03:03:39-06:00January 19th, 2013|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Barn Owls, Black-crowned Night Herons, Chukars, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

A wonderful fun-filled day with great companionship and plenty of birds. I can't ask for more.

Great Blue Heron Winter Delight

By |2022-06-26T04:10:16-05:00January 13th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I spotted this Great Blue Heron yesterday at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area and loved the setting with the fresh snow blanketing the steep creek bank.

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge – Christmas Day 2012

By |2021-10-05T05:53:09-05:00December 26th, 2012|Categories: Bald Eagles, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Christmas Day of 2012 turned out to be as beautiful as I hoped at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge because of bright skies, snow on the ground, birds and the expansive views.

Winter’s First Snow

By |2021-02-28T07:18:37-06:00October 25th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Bald Eagles, Barn Owls, Birds, Coyotes, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Mallards, Prairie Falcons, Salt Lake County, Utah, White-crowned Sparrows|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

As I write this the first snow of winter is falling outside my living room window. For the past week I have seen the snow on the mountain tops and I had been looking forward to seeing the snow covering the Salt Lake Valley.

I’ve got the Blues – Great Blue Herons that is!

By |2021-10-15T04:42:47-05:00October 15th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It seems I have always had a fondness for Great Blue Herons although I don't recall the first time I ever saw one. Great Blues are large wading birds that have a prehistoric look to them and even their calls; more like a croak, sound like something from the long distant past.

Great Blue Heron Portrait

By |2021-08-19T07:23:22-05:00August 2nd, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

This Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) got up close and personal with me a few years ago in Florida, it largely ignored my presence altogether as it stalked prey on shore of the Gulf of Mexico.

Great Blue Heron in Low Light

By |2021-08-19T07:27:07-05:00February 25th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The sun had not yet crested the eastern horizon when I photographed this Great Blue Heron as it hunted in the shallow waters on the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico.

Great Blue Heron at Sunrise

By |2023-03-06T06:01:01-06:00January 10th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Another one of the reasons I enjoy this photo is that the eye of the Great Blue Heron has a colored catchlight that is from the sun glowing yellow on the eastern horizon.

Low light Great Blue Heron with Earth Shadow

By |2021-08-19T07:33:37-05:00October 23rd, 2011|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The Great Blue Heron images from the series I created that blustery November morning on Fort De Soto's north beach are still favorites of mine and likely always will be.

Great Blue Herons

By |2024-03-14T06:40:15-05:00September 26th, 2010|Categories: Bird ID, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County, Roosevelt Wetlands, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Great Blue Herons are North America's largest heron and one of the three largest herons in the world.

Go to Top