Wildlife, landscape and weather photography
A nice breakfast for the bird, not such a great morning for the fish. 😉
Yesterday morning I happened across this beautiful heron and it was clearly looking for a meal. As is typical for them, the heron moved very slowly and deliberately, focused on the water and any hint of movement. It moved into the reeds and when it emerged, it had a nice, little meal.
A moody scene that conjures up a variety of emotions in me when I view the image and one that I really like. Taken last weekend, I opted for a wide view of this great blue heron. It had paused as it walked across a cold and wind-swept icy pond, finding itself alone, out in what seems like the middle of nowhere. A very minimalist photo but one that, to me, has a lot in it.
These massive birds are more associated with the summer here in Colorado but some do stick around throughout the colder months if there is open water for them. A friend saw this one take flight when we were hiking looking for critters and much to our delight, it took a turn and flew right by us. The image does a nice job showcasing its huge 6 foot wingspan and that beautiful blue / gray plumage.
A fun little bit of action here. While sitting on the shore of a lake, waiting for a photo opportunity to develop, this young great blue heron flew in and landed nearby. I figured it was on a mission and soon it began slowly walking the shoreline, watching the water for a meal.
In an instant, its head dove into the water and emerged with a crawdad in its beak. I had hoped it would toss and flip it but instead the heron just maneuvered the crustacean directly to its mouth and down the hatch whole.
A fun pose from this prehistoric looking bird. It was perched on a little island in a pond and clearly not enjoying the heat. With its wings raised and spread partially, it was panting and doing its best to stay cool. These behaviors are common among larger birds, I have even seen bald eagles do it, including the panting.
I don’t fish any more but if I did, I would have been asking this heron for some tips. It clearly was a pro as over the span of 15 minutes it very quickly and efficiently nabbed itself three black crappie, coming up empty on only one attempt.
On one attempt, as you can see, the heron completely skewered the fish with its beak! After each was caught, it very expertly flipped the fish lengthwise and downed them in one gulp.
It was a fun weekend, especially when I can photograph scenes like this right behind our campsite.
A bit of a baseball analogy to this fun scene. I was photographing an unusual gathering of birds at a local pond last Friday.
My main focus was on a beautiful great egret, a bird we only see here in Colorado briefly during migration and not in great numbers. Next to it was a great blue heron, creating a nice contrast. Suddenly, the great egret leapt into the air as a second great blue heron came in to join in the gathering, scaring off the big, white bird in the process.
Such a fun, rare thing to witness, making it well worth braving the cold temperatures and wind at the time.
Taken in Adams County, Colorado.
Well, this was a crazy scene I witnessed yesterday. After receiving my second dose of the COVID vaccine (Moderna), I decided to go for a walk around a local open space. There, I came across this very odd gathering of birds.
In the corner of the pond there were 30+ pelicans, 10+ great blue herons, a few cormorants and even a great egret – all gathered together in a very small area.
Seeing that many pelicans in one area isn’t unusual as they fish in groups. However, great blue herons don’t usually hang out together unless nesting and usually aren’t inclined to tolerate other creatures. I don’t know, but I am guessing a bunch of fish had gathered in the area and everyone was having a feast; that is the only thing that would seem to make sense.
It was definitely something I haven’t witnessed before. It didn’t last long as soon after I started photographing, someone came along the path and that was enough to scare them off resulting in this crazy cacophony of activity. You can see each of the birds I mentioned if you look close.
While these massive, prehistoric-looking birds, can be found in Colorado year-round, they are most common in the spring and I am starting to see more and more. This one was kind enough to give me a nice flyby a couple of days ago.
It was moving from spot to spot at a local pond, stalking the waters looking for a meal. This is where you will usually find these guys – along bodies of water like ponds, lakes and rivers. Most often they will be standing at the water’s edge, watching for movement
Taken on my photo drive this past Monday at the local regional park. I was photographing this pelican when out of the corner of my eye I see the heron taking off from a bit further up the inlet.
I quickly swung my camera and started clicking, grabbing this shot as the pterodactyl-looking heron few by the big-billed pelican.
Both of these birds are common here in Colorado during the summer and provide some great photo opportunities.
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