It’s nice to have a breeze around the pond but sometimes it blows low hanging branches into your shot. I still liked the pose and colors of this Little Blue Heron.
I was able to move a few steps for a different angle, however the bird was on the move.
He paused for a quick look around.
See ya later!
I frequently see Cattle Egrets in my local travels at some small farms with cattle, horses and goats. This is the first time I’ve seen one up close at any of the swamp / marsh areas in South Carolina.
Slightly smaller than a Little Blue Heron, I wasn’t surprised when he disappeared from my sight in the tall vegetation. After poking around a bit he stuck his head up for a look.
He moved to some shorter vegetation along the edge of the pond and I was able to get to a better angle.
Finally he stood fully upright showing off his golden head, neck and chest feathers.
It made me laugh to see this Great Blue Heron hop/fly over a little stream of mud created as the tide went out.
I guess it was just a bit too much after wading through worse to get there. He made a nice two point landing on the other side.
Then continued to walk along in the mud.
This Yellow-crowned Night-heron has become quite habituated to humans at Magnolia Cemetery. I saw several folks walk by and he never moved. This is the same heron as my wide view draped in Spanish Moss taken from the other side of the pond.
This tree hangs out over one of the cemetery’s ponds and he had a great view of some hunting grounds.
Some sort of small crustaceans were around the edge of the water and the heron spent some time stalking them.
This tree hangs over a pond at Charleston’s Magnolia Cemetery. It made a perfect perch for a Yellow-crowned Night-heron to watch the water.
A Tricolored Heron standing tall next to an old pier piling.
The azalea blooms have gone by but the Long White Bridge is still a big attraction at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. On a recent afternoon this Great Blue Heron and I had the view to ourselves.
The heron slowly waded around the perimeter, creating a small ripple in the water. There was just enough breeze to move the entire surface of the water so no mirror-like reflections this time.
Surrounded by yellow iris and calla lilies a Great Blue Heron stalked his way across the edge of a pond.
Look closely at the edge of the water on the right hand side in the second image and you’ll see he wasn’t alone: a small Alligator was patrolling the water.
I haven’t photographed this Great Blue Heron nest very often even though it is on the same pond as the others I’ve shown with chicks. The light never seems right or the birds’ position aren’t right. This day was a little different.
I’ve commented before on birds’ desire to occupy the highest point. This applies even if it is just a clump of sticks in the pond. We’ve had a lot of wind lately and small branches and other debris is getting pushed around in the ponds. This Great Egret found an attractive twig collection to drop in on.
Then it started to sink and he took off, straight up into the air.
One flap of the wings and he was off.
Banking smoothly left he decided to try another spot.
