{"id":74822,"date":"2020-10-22T06:10:39","date_gmt":"2020-10-22T12:10:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=74822"},"modified":"2025-08-20T06:52:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T11:52:13","slug":"immature-great-blue-heron-with-and-without-the-hand-of-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/10\/22\/immature-great-blue-heron-with-and-without-the-hand-of-man\/","title":{"rendered":"Immature Great Blue Heron – With And Without The Hand Of Man"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ImmatureImmature Great Blue Heron in flight right after lift off – Showing the hand of man – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/3200, ISO 640, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

I went to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge<\/span><\/a> yesterday morning where the sky was mostly clear, the temps were pleasantly cool and the views were spectacular. Autumn on the refuge is lovely. However; it was harder to find birds close enough to photograph than I had hoped for. A strong cold front should change that. I hope.<\/p>\n

From a long way off I could see a bird perched on the old observation deck on the southeast side of the auto tour route. At first I thought the bird might be a Canada Goose but then the bird stood taller, straightened its neck and I could see that it was a Great Blue Heron. When I was able to focus on the Great Blue Heron through my viewfinder I could also see that it was an immature, hatch year bird.<\/p>\n

I took a series of images of the young Great Blue Heron as it walked around on the railing of the observation deck and as it took off to join a raven that was poking its head into the vegetation out on the marsh.<\/p>\n

When the immature Great Blue Heron took off I was able to capture a nice series of images off it lifting off and in flight. Today I wanted to share one of those images with and without the hand of man.<\/p>\n

This first image shows the young heron right after it lifted off and the railing of the observation deck, the sky, the distant Promontory Mountains and a horde of midges surrounding the bird.<\/p>\n

All of those tiny black specks in the sky and on the railing in these photos are midges and there might be a bunch of mosquitoes among them too judging from how many times they bit me as I photographed this heron. <\/em><\/p>\n

I don’t mind the hand of man, or hand of human, showing in this photo. I photograph birds where I find them and sometimes that means that there will be human made items in the frame, some that are obvious and not so obvious.<\/p>\n

\"ImmatureImmature Great Blue Heron in flight right after lift off – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/3200, ISO 640, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

A different crop of the same image file can remove the obvious signs of the hands of humans by cropping out the railing of the observation deck.<\/p>\n

Is one of these immature Great Blue Heron images more visually appealing than the other? That depends on the personal tastes of the person viewing them.<\/p>\n

Me? I like them both.<\/p>\n

Why? Because with or without the hand of man the young heron in flight is what immediately grabs my attention.<\/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":"

Is one of these immature Great Blue Heron images more visually appealing than the other? That depends on the personal tastes of the person viewing them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":153010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","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":[124,27,1148,166,26],"tags":[970,4620,4052,4122,3987,1093,627,626,4067,4282,4094,540,4069,10555,4018,3792,313,4095,4193],"class_list":["post-74822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-great-blue-herons","category-utah","tag-autumn","tag-fall","tag-flight","tag-flying","tag-great-blue-heron","tag-hand-of-man","tag-heron","tag-herons","tag-immature","tag-lift-off","tag-marsh","tag-midges","tag-mountains","tag-observation-deck","tag-sky","tag-take-off","tag-wading-birds","tag-wetlands","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/great-blue-heron-immature-flight-mia-mcpherson-8824.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-jsO","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":100674,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/03\/14\/young-great-blue-heron-in-front-of-the-promontory-mountains\/","url_meta":{"origin":74822,"position":0},"title":"Young Great Blue Heron In Front Of The Promontory Mountains","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 14, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I liked this image of an immature Great Blue Heron flying in front of the snow covered Promontory Mountains even though the heron is small in the frame.","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":"Immature Great Blue Heron flying in front of snow covered mountains, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/great-blue-heron-immature-flight-mountains-mia-mcpherson-1398.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/great-blue-heron-immature-flight-mountains-mia-mcpherson-1398.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/great-blue-heron-immature-flight-mountains-mia-mcpherson-1398.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/great-blue-heron-immature-flight-mountains-mia-mcpherson-1398.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":52108,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/05\/15\/immature-black-crowned-night-heron-in-flight\/","url_meta":{"origin":74822,"position":1},"title":"Immature Black-crowned Night Heron In Flight","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 15, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"When I spotted this immature Black-crowned Night Heron on the wing at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in April I hoped it would fly in closer than it did, still I liked the photos I took of it with a clear blue sky in the background.","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":"Immature Black-crowned Night Heron in flight against a clear blue sky, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/black-crowned-night-heron-juvenile-flight-mia-mcpherson-5223.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/black-crowned-night-heron-juvenile-flight-mia-mcpherson-5223.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/black-crowned-night-heron-juvenile-flight-mia-mcpherson-5223.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/black-crowned-night-heron-juvenile-flight-mia-mcpherson-5223.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":77531,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/01\/09\/immature-great-blue-heron-on-ice\/","url_meta":{"origin":74822,"position":2},"title":"Immature Great Blue Heron On Ice","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 9, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Three days ago I photographed an immature Great Blue Heron on ice from the auto tour route at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.","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":"Immature Great Blue Heron after landing on ice, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/great-blue-heron-immature-on-ice-mia-mcpherson-4504.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-immature-on-ice-mia-mcpherson-4504.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/great-blue-heron-immature-on-ice-mia-mcpherson-4504.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/great-blue-heron-immature-on-ice-mia-mcpherson-4504.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":95720,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/09\/28\/immature-black-crowned-night-heron-in-marsh-habitat\/","url_meta":{"origin":74822,"position":3},"title":"Immature Black-crowned Night Heron In Marsh Habitat","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 28, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Nearly hidden in the marsh vegetation was an immature Black-crowned Night Heron perched on some phrags at the edge of the water.","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":"Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron with its eyes on prey, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/black-crowned-night-heron-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-6274.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/black-crowned-night-heron-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-6274.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/black-crowned-night-heron-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-6274.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/black-crowned-night-heron-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-6274.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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McPherson","date":"February 3, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, I'm sharing a simple Great Blue Heron photo I took late last month at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. I liked the heron's reflection on the Bear River.","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":", Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/great-blue-heron-river-near-rocks-brmbr-mia-mcpherson-4634.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/great-blue-heron-river-near-rocks-brmbr-mia-mcpherson-4634.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/great-blue-heron-river-near-rocks-brmbr-mia-mcpherson-4634.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/great-blue-heron-river-near-rocks-brmbr-mia-mcpherson-4634.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74822\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/153010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}