One-bite Meal, Great Blue Heron

While spending Christmas with our Florida family my son Chad and I slipped out early one morning to visit the Viera Wetlands. After a decent morning of photograph and with the sun rising high into the sky we decided to drive one more lap around the dikes before calling it a day.  Moments later we spotted a great blue heron with a greater siren grasp securely in its bill.  Knowing there was little time to spare I braced the 600mm lens on the car door and quickly shot this sequence of the bird swallowing the huge meal.

On the Water: The Last of Summer

As I left a Raystown Lake dock early Saturday morning I could hear the honking of geese over the idling of my outboard motor.  I had the Canon 100-400 L attached to the 6D and by hand holding it at 100mm, ISO 1000 was able to capture the scene as the flock passed overhead.

There seemed to be boats everywhere.  Later I learned that there were four tournaments underway in the area.  With summer rapidly winding down the some of the foliage is already beginning to change color. 

At one point I spotted this lone fisherman motoring at a moderate speed with the front mount trolling motor down.  I wonder if he was just wanting to go slow or if he was worrying about why his boat was not cruising normally.
 

 

It has been my experience that wildlife photos are difficult to come by on this lake.  There is plenty of diverse habitats to attract a variety of water loving birds and animals.  However it seems that most wildlife either avoid the area or remain hidden because of the high level of human disturbance.

 

Even the Great Blue Herons are quick to flush and seldom allow an approach to within good telephoto lens range.  For some reason this particular bird did allow me to approach it using both the electric motor and the outboard, both a slow speed.

 

This day was probably my last summer day on the water as I have different plans for the upcoming weekend.  While it is still summer it certainly didn't feel like it with the morning temperature in the mid 40's nor did it look like summer with the autumn colors beginning to show.

 

As I look at the calendar I see that soon autumn will begin and once again it will be time for my annual trip to the Pennsylvania elk range. 

Assateague Morning

Assateague Sunrise

 

Looking back at our recent visit to Assateague Island these two images stood out for how they relate to the wildlife photographer.  To be successful as an outdoor photographer it is necessary to be out on location early in the morning and late in the evening to capture the best light of the day and when wildlife is most active.

Great Blue Heron

 

To successfully photograph wildlife one must often resort to the tactics of the Great Blue Heron; be in the right location and wait motionlessly until just the right moment to strike. 

Great Blue Heron: Flight & Landing

A Great Blue Heron soars across shallow water passing over a sunning alligator

And then picks a more suitable spot to touch down

Canon 60D, Canon 600mm f4 L IS USM

Lake Marian, Florida

Sword Swallowing: Great Blue Herons Feeding

Feeding time at a great blue heron nest is not a tender moment shared between parents and young

Instead it is an incredibly violent act as hungry young birds stab at the adult with sharp long bills, bills capable of piercing a fish, and then take the adults bill deep into their throat.

Even from a considerable distance the clacking of the bills can be heard easily.

Competition between siblings is intense as each vie for the adults attention

Activity at this nest was not nearly as intense as this nest as it contained only one young bird.  However even though alone, the young bird was still quite insistent upon being fed.

Viera Wetlands, Melbourne Florida.

Shooting South: A visit to the Sunshine State

Sunrise at the Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands at Viera

 For tens of thousands of visitors each year Disney and other amusement/theme parks are Florida's main attraction but for me these attractions pale in comparison to the abundant wildlife populations that call the Sunshine State home.

Reviewing & processing the 30 odd gigs of images from the five morning and two evening shoots will have to wait until I have a chance to recoup from 17 hours of virtually non-stop driving.  So for now I will share one of my very first Florida images from this my latest photographic adventure.

Odds & Ends

Not having neither the time or the energy to put much thought into a post, I decided instead to share some unrelated photos.

I was a little surprised to see Great Blue Herons building nest during my early March visit to Middle Creek.  The rookery was too far away from the road to allow great shots and getting any closer was unlawful so I had to be satisfied with what was available.  Shooting with the 600mm lens I could see from viewing the camera LCD that the shots were soft.  Resorting to manual focus and using live view at 10x zoom the resulting images were sharper.

These mallards may look no different than your friendly everyday park ducks but they fully understand the dangers that humans present.  The nearest hen has already spotted me and at the first click of the shutter they exploded into the air. 

This crow seems to understand that I mean it no harm but gaging from the intent stare it isn't entirely trusting either.

Wildlife Photography: A Thrilling and Satisfying Endeavor

Male Pintail

For me wildlife photography is filled with thrills and the sense of accomplishment.  The pintail is a species that I have never photographed in my home area.  So to find a few of them scattered among the thousands of Canada Geese and Mallards at Blackwater NWR was a thrill in and of itself.  Adding a few good photographs of the stately birds to my portfolio gave me a considerable feeling of satisfaction of a job well done.

Mallard Flushing

While Mallards are common throughout our area, capturing the fast paced action as they spring almost vertically into flight is great fun.  In this instance the Mallards were flushing singly and in pairs as they flew from the marsh to the nearby fields to feed.

Female Northern Harrier

And it's always a thrill aiming the camera at a fast flying raptor.  Northern Harriers hunt by flying low over swamps and grassy meadows.  With their owl shaped face to concentrate sound, they use their acute hearing to assist in locating prey. 

Great Blue Heron

And as common as they are, photographing a Great Blue Heron as it stands as still as a statute is always a pleasure.  This heron waiting for its next meal to swim by may be using the pilings as a way to concentrate prey.

All creatures from tiny insects to the largest of beast can provide the wildlife photographer with thrills; capturing the creatures in beautiful photographs, that's where the satisfaction comes in. 





Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron, Blackwater NWR

Day Tripping: Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

Needing a photo-fix Willard and I visited Blackwater NWR this morning.  Located on Maryland's eastern shore near Cambridge, Blackwater is a wintering area for many species of waterfowl as well as a good number of Bald Eagles. 

Great Blue Herons are plentiful as well.  At one point five herons were in sight at stalking across the tidal flats in search of prey.

Throughout the morning we observed Canada geese, snow geese, tundra swans, northern shovelers, mallards, pintails, hooded mergansers, and northern harriers.  I will be post images more images from Blackwater NWR in the coming days.

On The Move

 Last seen heading north in mid-May the Loons are now passing through on their way south

While on the water Thursday I noticed twin wakes cutting across the placid surface some distance away.  A quick peak through binos confirmed that a pair of feeding loons were causing the disturbance.  Unable to approach closely for portrait shots I was content with a more distant shot that included the reflection of the colorful autumn foliage.

Pied-billed Grebes are also among the waterbirds moving south for the winter

A Great Blue Heron watches stoically from a lake side log

The great blue herons however are in no hurry to move.  Instead they will remain as long as open water can be found.  A few birds will remain throughout the winter feeding along the spring-fed streams that remain ice-free.

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Lakeside Captures

 After getting the boat launched Wednesday morning I took a moment to look around spotting this Great Blue Heron standing in the muck at the water's edge.  Slowly moving the boat closer I maneuvered for an good lighting angle to take advantage of the early morning sun as it began to burn through the fog.

Spotting another Heron later I again motored in closer and was surprised to see a feeding pair of immature wood ducks as they rounded the point.  After a few minutes the ducks and heron came into alignment allowing me to capture all in one photograph.

 The heavy dew glistens like jewels on the grass.  One duck looks for its next morsel as the other stretches is wings.

Plucking a blade of grass

And demonstrating the "Duck Step"

The pair were oblivious to me sitting nearly motionless in the shallow water with the boat rammed against a couple of stumps.  Wood ducks at this location are normally very wary but with the bright sun at my back they didn't seem to notice me until they had moved some distance away.

Fishing was slow as expected.  The Heron and Wood Ducks were "The Catch of the Day"

Shots from the Lake

A Great Blue Heron allowed me to approach while it watched intently under the stump.  I was hoping for a great catch shot but whatever it was watching apparently escaped without giving the bird the opportunity to strike.

The pair of Red-breasted Mergansers are still here and are becoming quite accustomed to my boat approaches.  As acclimated as they have became they no longer take flight when pressed closely; choosing instead to swim away.  The great light here gave me what may be my very best ever "on the water shot" of a RB Merganser.

Camera Critters: Great Blue Heron

Lately our weather has established a pattern of the warmest and brightest days occurring during the week accompanied by cool damp dreary weekends.  Today was no exception with heavy clouds and temps hovering in the lower 40s.  Not allowing a day off work to pass me by I headed out with the boat shortly after daybreak.  A bass tournament was in progress when I arrived at the lake; an event the I believe was responsible for the absence of ducks but the fishermen didn't seem to bother the thirty or more horned grebes and three loons busy feeding on perch spawn. 

The best photo op of the day happened when I located this Great Blue Heron that allowed me to drift the boat reasonably close to it location.  The heron used a fishing tactic which I had never observed before.  Instead of wading slowly in the shallows as most do this bird flew from stump to stump checking for prey holding close to the structure.  The tactics were working well for the bird as I witnessed it strike a number of times.  This last photo caught the bird just as it recovers from an unsuccessful strike while water drips from its bill.

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Great Blue Heron

Whether Flying

Walking

 Or Stalking

The Great Blue Heron is at all times a majestic bird

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