{"id":18616,"date":"2015-01-17T06:22:54","date_gmt":"2015-01-17T13:22:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=18616"},"modified":"2025-02-04T04:04:44","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T10:04:44","slug":"a-few-minutes-up-close-with-a-great-blue-heron-on-the-florida-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/01\/17\/a-few-minutes-up-close-with-a-great-blue-heron-on-the-florida-coast\/","title":{"rendered":"Few Minutes Up Close With A Great Blue Heron On The Florida Coast"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"GreatGreat Blue Heron and the Gulf of Mexico – Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1\/1250, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light, not baited
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

In March of 2009 I spent a few minutes up close with a Great Blue Heron on Florida’s Gulf Coast photographing and observing this long-legged wading bird.\u00a0 I sat down in the sugar white sand and photographed it as the heron surveyed the area around it including a lagoon to the east and the Gulf of Mexico to the west. The sea breeze felt delightful to me and kept me cool even though the temperatures were rising.<\/p>\n

\"GreatGreat Blue Heron up close – Nikon D200, handheld, f8, 1\/1000, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

While sitting there I could see the slight hints of orange in the heron’s yellow eyes which can’t be easily seen from a distance. It was also easy to see the encrusted salt on the heron’s bill and how plush the feathers on the head appeared. I wanted to reach out and touch it but I never would even though the heron was so very confiding.<\/p>\n

\"GreatGreat Blue Heron portrait on a breezy day – Nikon D200, handheld, f8, 1\/1000, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

Besides, that bill looked razor sharp. This heron was likely one of the pair of birds I had photographed nesting in a tree just a few months before this image was taken. The nest was a short 5 minutes walk from where I photographed it next to the Gulf.<\/p>\n

Photographing this bird brought back memories of a day I spotted a Great Blue Heron struggling because it was caught in a trotline in the Chattahoochee River<\/span><\/a> in Georgia and hurried to the Alabama side to try to free the heron. After spending 15 minutes driving north, crossing a bridge and then south to the bird’s location I wondered if the heron was going to be okay.<\/p>\n

As my young sons and I dashed down the riverbank my ex grabbed a knife and followed us. The heron was really tangled up in the illegal trotline that was tied to the base of a small tree at the river’s edge but I knew we had to get it free or it would die. The heron surprisingly did not appear to be frightened as I walked close to it and slowly reached out my hand and grasped the heron’s sharp bill so my ex could cut away at the trotline without being stabbed by its bill.<\/p>\n

It only took a few seconds to free the the Great Blue and when it was done I released its bill and stepped back. The Great Blue Heron squawked and flew off across the Chattahoochee River and landed in a tree while my sons and I clapped our hands and shouted hooray. That was as close as I have ever been, and likely will ever be, to a Great Blue Heron in the wild.<\/p>\n

But with a camera and a long lens I can still be up close to these amazing, prehistoric looking birds.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Great Blue Heron photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photographing this bird brought back memories of a day I spotted a Great Blue Heron struggling because it was caught in a trotline in the Chattahoochee River in Georgia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":130281,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"chat","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,25,704,166,2000],"tags":[4004,4117,4021,4142,3987,4077,627,626,4046,313],"class_list":["post-18616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-chat","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-florida","category-fort-de-soto-county-park","category-great-blue-herons","category-pinellas-county-florida","tag-adult","tag-ardea-herodias","tag-bird-photography","tag-close-up","tag-great-blue-heron","tag-gulf-of-mexico","tag-heron","tag-herons","tag-portrait","tag-wading-birds","post_format-post-format-chat"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/great-blue-heron-up-close-mia-mcpherson-8094.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-4Qg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5838,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/08\/02\/great-blue-heron-portrait\/","url_meta":{"origin":18616,"position":0},"title":"Great Blue Heron Portrait","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 2, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"This Great Blue Heron 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.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Close up of a Great Blue Heron at the north beach of Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/great-blue-heron-portrait-mia-mcpherson-8145.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/great-blue-heron-portrait-mia-mcpherson-8145.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/great-blue-heron-portrait-mia-mcpherson-8145.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/great-blue-heron-portrait-mia-mcpherson-8145.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6365,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/10\/15\/ive-got-the-blues-great-blue-herons-that-is\/","url_meta":{"origin":18616,"position":1},"title":"I’ve Got The Blues – Great Blue Herons That Is!","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 15, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Great Blue Heron portrait - Warm morning light, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/great-blue-heron-portrait-mia-mcpherson-6455.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/great-blue-heron-portrait-mia-mcpherson-6455.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/great-blue-heron-portrait-mia-mcpherson-6455.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/great-blue-heron-portrait-mia-mcpherson-6455.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15629,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/08\/11\/little-blue-heron-in-a-florida-lagoon\/","url_meta":{"origin":18616,"position":2},"title":"Little Blue Heron In A Florida Lagoon","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 11, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I missed the Little Blue Heron in Utah but I have fond memories of the day I photographed this one as the sun began to set over the Gulf of Mexico.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Little Blue Heron at sunset, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/little-blue-heron-mia-mcpherson-5544.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/little-blue-heron-mia-mcpherson-5544.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/little-blue-heron-mia-mcpherson-5544.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/little-blue-heron-mia-mcpherson-5544.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":37685,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/03\/31\/great-blue-herons-expelling-bile\/","url_meta":{"origin":18616,"position":3},"title":"Great Blue Herons Expelling Bile? (Graphic)","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 31, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I have only seen and photographed these two Great Blue Herons expelling bile in Florida and Utah. I wonder how often this occurs.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Retching Great Blue Heron, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/great-blue-heron-regurgitating-mia-mcpherson-8059.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/great-blue-heron-regurgitating-mia-mcpherson-8059.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/great-blue-heron-regurgitating-mia-mcpherson-8059.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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