......is that you DON'T always get what you want! I wanted to see the Prothonotary Warbler again, so I went back to Howell wetlands. You notice that there is NOT a warbler in the above photo! Nothing! However.......
......at the big lake I saw a Great Blue Heron! I do not see these every day of the week, believe me. This was exciting! I took 300 photos.......and several short videos......How on earth did we ever survive before digital cameras???????
This was the real pay-off for all of those photos......he caught a fish! A big fish!
It's a wonder I didn't start cheering and scare him off! I was really excited!
He also did a lot of weird neck scrunching and twisting and even using his feet on his feathers as he walked. Maybe this is normal......I wouldn't know since I don't usually see these birds except when they briefly land on our pond and immediately fly away if you even look out the window at them.
I went out hoping for a warbler......or at least a bunch of turtles......or maybe some more baby geese. Instead I got this wonderful heron and the experience of watching him catch a fish! On top of that I also got some other neat shots.....including a new bird that I haven't identified yet, but you will have to wait for those in tomorrow's post :-) The heron is enough for today!
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19 comments:
Hi Mary, I had a little time this morning before taking off for the day, so I decided to stop by. So many wonderful sightings! I love all of your pictures. I looked at your previous posts, too. The sunset, birds, babies, etc. All fun to see! See you soon!
Good shots of the heron ... especially with its big catch! They are shy so you really were in the right spot at the right time.
At the coast we see them everywhere, in the ditches by the roadside even (but they wouldn't hang around if you stopped to photo them). Up where we live, there are a very limited number.
I love watching them fly.
Sandpiper: Glad to have you back and hope you tune in tomorrow, because I think my mystery bird is a sandpiper of some sort :-)
Cicero:Thanks! I can't imagine seeing them in ditches and such! I live inland and occasionally see one land on our pond, but they are very skittery and fly off immediately. This one just stayed on the far side of this lake and paced along....I took several videos but all he did was walk. No one else was around, so I just sat down on the boardwalk and waited. I saw him try for fish 3 times before he got that one.
Annie: I kept hoping he would take off and I would get a flight shot, but didn't want to scare him off! I was really surprised he didn't fly off the minute I spotted him.
Very, very nice!
Birdlady: Thank you! I hate when I have to use the digital zoom, because the photos lose clarity. I was very entertained by his foot and neck maneuvers.
How exciting to see the heron AND him catching a fish too!!! Wonderful photographs Mary. Thanks for sharing.
These are great action pictures; and aren't they such huge, magnificent creatures! And they are a study in patience as you watch them in their slow gait walk while creeping up on a fish or frog, but then their quick movement is so surprising when they catch something. I can understand your enjoyment of this exciting photo shoot.
Hi Mary,
I am amazed that Heron didn't choke himself on that fish.
SAPhotographs: Thanks! I get excited easily :-)
Me and My Camera: I really did enjoy watching it just stroll slowly along the edge of the lake gracefully and in such concentration. I took videos of that, but was actually trying to be ready in case it took flight...which it never did.
Roy Norris: I was amazed at how big a fish they can swallow and wondered if some of the neck bends it did afterwards while walking were helping to "move it down" that long neck!
Wow, those are amazing shots of the heron, and catching the big fish too! Lovely. I look forward to your post tomorrow to see what else you saw!
--JB
JB: I bet that Jelly Bean would like a big fish like that .....if you chopped it up nicely :-)
what an amazing bird! I can well understand your excitement :D
Great shots of the heron, it's always nice when you have a subject that is cooperative.
Mosefruen: Thanks! I'd love to stand next to one, to really get the feel for how tall they are.
John: Thanks! I believe he was too intent on fishing to care if I was there.
Wow, great shots Mary. Beautiful bird.
Sandy: Thanks! It's always exciting to see something out of the ordinary and have the camera with me at the time.
Great Heron series.
Mike: Thanks!
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