This Great Blue Heron was alert and posturing as he staked his claim to a potential nest site.
It was a dark afternoon, even had been sprinkling a bit. I processed these each a little differently, trying to compensate for the lack of light.
A Great Egret flew by but did not stop as the GBH gave a pointed look.
Mindful that darkness was coming I stopped to take a few images of a Great Blue Heron overlooking the swamp from his tree perch. Sometimes the receding color in the sky is spectacular here; this night the color was more subtle.
I spent a lovely afternoon watching birds along a dike at the edge of one of the old rice fields. This canal runs parallel to the dike and several Great Blue Herons worked their way up and down the canal, looking for the best sunning and fishing spots.
He flew up from the water’s edge just in front of me and I didn’t get focus until the Great Blue Heron landed on the alligator ramp in the middle of the canal.
After he landed he took his time settling in with a little ruffle and arranging his feet.
All fluffed up, he faced the warm afternoon sun, this prime spot all to himself at least for a little while.
Captured 10/22/2018
A Great Blue Heron spending the afternoon on the banks of an old rice field pond made an excellent portrait subject.
A Great Blue Heron perched on an alligator ramp is passed by a Tri-colored Heron photo bombing my scene. Sometimes the larger Herons will give chase if they feel their space is invaded but this time he went back to preening.
Despite their size Great Blue Herons can hide in plain sight. I’ve jumped more than once when one I didn’t see in the bushes took off with a squawk when he saw me. I did see this one as I got closer but he blended into the foliage when I was further down the path along this pond.
I suspect there used to be a dock of some sort here. These posts now provides Great Blue Herons a perfect spot to watch for fish in this small pond.
I do occasionally see Great Blue Herons Walk but their preferred mode of transportation is flying. This GBH was elegantly covering the distance across a pond with just a few wing strokes.
Out for a stroll along a dike between two ponds, this Great Blue Heron was just taking his time selecting a spot to lift off.
Great Blue Heron WalkingI was too close to capture the take off, and he quickly dropped down into the pond to the left.
Great Blue Heron Walking
