{"id":49352,"date":"2017-11-08T04:55:51","date_gmt":"2017-11-08T11:55:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=49352"},"modified":"2024-07-22T14:30:04","modified_gmt":"2024-07-22T19:30:04","slug":"stretching-green-heron-at-sawgrass-lake-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/11\/08\/stretching-green-heron-at-sawgrass-lake-park\/","title":{"rendered":"Stretching Green Heron at Sawgrass Lake Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"GreenGreen Heron stretching- Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1\/250, ISO 250, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 330mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

When I lived in Florida I spent most of my time photographing along the Gulf of Mexico on beaches, saltwater marshes and in lagoons because of my love of shorebirds and because there were sea breezes that often kept the bugs at bay. Further inland the biting insects could be so bad that they would find the tiniest places where I missed spraying insect repellent and “tear me a new one” and I’d often go home feeling like I had been used for a pincushion.<\/p>\n

But photographing inland had its benefits too, I did see birds there that I rarely or never saw closer to the Gulf. I don’t recall seeing Green Herons close to the Gulf but I did find them in inland locations like Sawgrass Lake Park<\/span><\/a>. More often than not when I would find Green Herons they were in locations that made photographing them difficult because of trees, branches and other obstructions so when I would find one out in the open I would take full advantage of the situation and take loads of photos.<\/p>\n

This Green Heron was photographed from an elevated boardwalk at Sawgrass Lake Park, it had been preening when I walked slowly up to it and when it stretched its wing I took this image. Not long after this a Broad-winged Hawk flew over and disturbed the Green Heron and that was fun to photograph because of the defensive poses it showed me.<\/p>\n

Some times I look back and wish I had spent more time photographing birds in more inland locations while I lived in Florida but then I remind myself of the birds I would have missed seeing and photographing on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico had I done that.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Green Heron photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n

P.S., Green Herons can be found in Utah, I have seen one since I arrived here as it flew away from me. Maybe one day I will find one that cooperates with me here.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This Green Heron was photographed from and elevated boardwalk at Sawgrass Lake Park, it had been preening when I walked slowly up to it and when it stretched its wing I took this image.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":131094,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,25,2330,2000,883],"tags":[4004,4897,2331,5547,627,626,6224,9465,3964,9464,4001,313,3996,4095],"class_list":["post-49352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-florida","category-green-herons","category-pinellas-county-florida","category-sawgrass-county-park","tag-adult","tag-branch","tag-butorides-virescens","tag-green-heron","tag-heron","tag-herons","tag-inland","tag-maple-swamp","tag-stretching","tag-swamp","tag-wading-bird","tag-wading-birds","tag-water","tag-wetlands"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/green-heron-stretching-mia-mcpherson-7068.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-cQ0","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":67753,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/04\/01\/green-heron-in-a-maple-swamp-at-saw-grass-lake-park\/","url_meta":{"origin":49352,"position":0},"title":"Green Heron In A Maple Swamp At Saw Grass Lake Park","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 1, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"This Green Heron was photographed not long after I first started focusing on and photographing birds while I still lived in Florida.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Green Heron in a swamp, Sawgrass Lake Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/green-heron-hunting-low-light-mia-mcpherson-1851.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/green-heron-hunting-low-light-mia-mcpherson-1851.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Sawgrass Lake Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/green-heron-florida-mia-mcpherson-6983.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/green-heron-florida-mia-mcpherson-6983.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/green-heron-florida-mia-mcpherson-6983.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/green-heron-florida-mia-mcpherson-6983.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":43846,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/12\/10\/green-heron-at-sawgrass-lake-park\/","url_meta":{"origin":49352,"position":2},"title":"Green Heron at Sawgrass Lake Park – From My Early Days of Being a Bird Photographer","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 10, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I photographed this Green Heron at Sawgrass Lake Park in Pinellas County, Florida with my first DSLR, a Nikon D70, when I was just getting into bird photography.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Green Heron with reflection, Sawgrass Lake Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/green-heron-sawgrass-mia-mcpherson-1894.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/green-heron-sawgrass-mia-mcpherson-1894.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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It can be found in estuaries along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, in inland freshwater marshes in Florida.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Tricolored Heron side view, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/tricolored-heron-mia-mcpherson-8889.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/tricolored-heron-mia-mcpherson-8889.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/tricolored-heron-mia-mcpherson-8889.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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2020","format":false,"excerpt":"When I lived in Florida Tricolored Herons were among my favorite wading birds to photograph and I found them in many different types of habitats.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Tricolored Heron at Roosevelt Wetland, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/tricolored-heron-wetlands-mia-mcpherson-2751.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/tricolored-heron-wetlands-mia-mcpherson-2751.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/tricolored-heron-wetlands-mia-mcpherson-2751.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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