When I take pics of flying creatures, I do usually focus on raptors. However, every now and then I will train my lens on less aggressive birds. From ducks to pelicans and meadowlarks to egrets, small and large have all been captured by my camera. Here are some of my favorites from the past year.
Mirror, mirror what do I see? A great blue heron on top and bottom
I don’t know that I have ever captured a more perfect reflection of any subject matter. This gorgeous heron was hanging out at a pond at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge last weekend.
Despite being close to the road, it didn’t flinch at all when I stopped, remaining totally motionless. Beautiful weather with no wind meant the surface of the water was like a mirror reflecting the heron.
I snapped dozens of pics and compositions, liking this one the best.
Heron on ice
These guys do prefer fish but I have seen them tackle more earthy meals as well like mice and even prairie dogs. This particular one was hanging out on a frozen pond at St. Vrain State Park, Colorado recently, seemingly trying to figure out what / how it was going to eat.
It was watching the fisherman closely so maybe it was just hoping for a handout.
The last thing this fish sees is a photographer taking its picture
The last thing this fish sees is a photographer taking its picture. 😀
Take a close look and you will see what I mean. When I got home and processed this image it kind of cracked me up. Coming home from work a couple weeks ago I stopped by a local open space. This Great Blue Heron rewarded my time with three consecutive catches of fish. Lots of fun to see it devour them whole.
Snowy Egrets size up an interloper
It never fails. You stake out a nice, quiet spot of beach to enjoy some fishing and time with the family. Along comes someone you have never seen before and despite having plenty of beach they could have to themselves, they insist on staking out a spot right among your gathering. So frustrating! 😉
There were about a dozen Snowy Egrets at this suburban pond, enjoying a nice evening. Along game this massive Great Blue Heron that decided to crash their party. The much smaller egrets weren’t quite sure how to handle the squatter and in the end, let the big guy keep the spot while they moved elsewhere.
Great Blue Heron flyby
It isn’t often these big birds cooperate with me but on this day, one did. It was in flight, following the South Platte River and passed at close range giving me some nice images as it did.
Great Blue Heron against the blue Colorado sky
For those of you along the Colorado Front Range, you know full well this image wasn’t taken today as we are getting a late season snowstorm as I type this. 😉 The image was captured a couple weekends ago along the South Platte River north of Denver.
This cool, prehistoric looking bird had landed along the banks of the river right near me. However, the second it realized I was there, it took flight but, thankfully, did so in a direction that allowed me a nice series of flight shots.
Great Blue Heron on ice
I usually don’t have much luck with these big birds as they tend to flee when they see me coming. On a cold morning earlier this month, this particular one was content to let me get relatively close though which was nice for a change. It was keeping watch from the edge of the ice on a pond just as the sun was coming up over the horizon. The golden light made for a pleasing capture.
These birds have small bodies but are quite tall with massive wingspans that can reach over 6 feet wide. Oftentimes found along shorelines of lakes and calm areas of rivers, Great Blue Herons are very adept at plucking fish from the waters.
Great Blue Heron heads off into the morning sun
It was a rather pleasant, late spring day when I snapped this picture of this big bird. It and I played hide and seek for quite a little while. Just when I was getting in position for a picture, it would take flight in the opposite direction, frustrating my efforts. This particular time though, it flew somewhat across my field of vision giving me a decent series.
These birds have small bodies but are quite tall with massive wingspans that can reach over 6 feet wide. Oftentimes found along shorelines of lakes and calm areas of rivers, Great Blue Herons are very adept at plucking fish from the waters.
Great Blue Heron gets a close-up
These large, beautiful birds are usually pretty skittish and not likely to let you approach. This particular one might have been like that were it not for the fact it was totally focused on walking the shoreline hunting for a meal.
I initially spotted it when it was a good 40 yards or more away from me. After I took a few distant images, the heron started walking along the shoreline right toward me. Rather than press my luck, I opted to just stand and wait. The bird was so intent on looking for prey, it never seemed to notice I was there, eventually coming within 20 feet of me.
Drizzle was falling and skies were dark which made it a bit of a challenge but it was fun to be able to capture some images from such close range. Taken at St Vrain State Park, Colorado.
