Green Heron (at last!!!)

CyberDyneSystems wrote:

Wow that stork builds a big nest!
Looks like I could get comfortable in there!

It sure is big, i saw a few nests and they are all on top of electricity poles.

smaller birds nest underneath
it is quite a sight.
i just wish i had taken my 10D out that day,

Wow, nice pictures, everybody. Really impressive! Being partial to birds, I really enjoy viewing all kinds of bird pictures. Thanks.

This summer I was fortunate enough to run across a Great Blue Heron who regularly visited a local park near my place. I'd like to share some of my pictures of the heron with you, if you don't mind.

http://tanseikai.com/t​anseikai/index_herons.​htm

I also have a Green Heron picture but it's not as good as Cyber's.

http://tanseikai.com …i/pages/Green%2​0Heron.htm

Hi, Terry,

I noticed that you have an interest in birds of the mechanical kind as well. I took the liberty of looking at some of the aircraft pictures in your gallery and they are really nice. Great shots you have there!

excellent pictures PacAce! i've been waiting to catch a blue heron in flight! it nearly looks like is was posing for the camera. the closeup shots are amazing. were you able to get that close or do you have a super telephoto?

Great shots PacAce,..

I got hooked by a Red Tailed Hawk too!

If it weren't for the pair of them nesting in DownTown Providence,. I would still own an Olympus digicam instead of a 10D with 500mm lens, and I'd be a few thousand dollars richer!

Wonderfull photos pf the Great Blue,. those three profile shots were you are really up close to that big guy! Oh my!

That is the toughest looking Blue I have ever seen!

CyberDyneSystems wrote:
Great shots PacAce,..

I got hooked by a Red Tailed Hawk too!

If it weren't for the pair of them nesting in DownTown Providence,. I would still own an Olympus digicam instead of a 10D with 500mm lens, and I'd be a few thousand dollars richer!

Wonderfull photos pf the Great Blue,. those three profile shots were you are really up close to that big guy! Oh my!

That is the toughest looking Blue I have ever seen!

Hi, New Girl and Cyber,

Thanks for your very kind words.

I shot the Great Blue Heron with a 10D and a 100-400L. And although I was relatively close to the heron, I still wasn't close enough for the heron to fill the frame even at the 400mm setting of the lens. I cropped the original frame a little to get the seemingly tighter shot of the bird. Actually, the size of the heron in the original frames looks more like this (or maybe just a tad bigger):

http://www.tanseikai.c​om …at%20Blue%20Her​on_204.htm

New Girl, I know what you mean about waiting to catch the blue heron in flight. That's exactly what I had to do to get my shots. When I first saw the heron at the park, another lady who was also photographing him, said that the heron was a regular daily visitor to the park, arriving around 4:30 PM and leaving just before dusk. So, every day after work, for a week, I went to the park to see if I could get there early enough to catch him flying in. No such luck! The closest I got to catching him in flight was when I was walking into the park with my camera in my backpack. He had already landed by the time I got my camera out. He always landed on this small island in the middle of a pond in the park.

A week later, I saw him by the edge of the pond instead of on the island. So, I got my camera out and started to slowly walk up to it to get some real close up shots of it. As soon as he saw me approaching he took off flying. Fortunately I had my camera set up for taking flight pictures, i.e. 10D in AF Servo mode and the 100-400L in IS mode 2. As soon as he hit the air, I pressed the shutter release and never let go. (It was tough trying to get a focus lock on him with him flying away from me!)

Cyber, I'm sure you'll appreciate what came next...after a burst of 9 pictures, the camera slowed down to a crawl as it started writing the images to the CF card. Now the thing was that the heron was flying AWAY from me so the pictures weren't going to be as good as those with him flying TOWARDS me. As the images were being written to the card, the heron did a 360 degree U turn and heads straight for me. I still had my finger pressing down on the shutter button but this time the camera was going maybe one frame a second. Talk about something being agonizingly slow, this was it. Then when the perfect in-flight picture of a heron came into view (good focus and composition) the camera stopped clicking. ARG!!!!!

When it started up again an eternity later, the heron had already landed on his favorite perch atop a tree. Oh, well, I was thankful I got what I DID get!

Thanks Pac, i have a few more to put up from this years shows.

you have some fantastic photos on your site, i especially like the Great Blue Heron in flight , brilliant shots.

Hi, Terry,

I'll look forward to seeing your new airshow pictures. Be sure to let us know when they're up.

Oh yes,...

Been there for sure!

...In fact lat night I was 'trying" to get some new pics of the Green Herons offspring,.. well the light was horrible and I was too far away so I can't whine about the 9 frame buffer too much,. but wouldn't you know I was out of buffer just when it took off!

I did manage two shots one of which is moderately interesting... I'll post it later.

http://www.pbase.com/i​mage/17918993
http://www.pbase.com/i​mage/17918986
http://www.pbase.com/i​mage/17919863
http://www.pbase.com/i​mage/17918942


all the pictures are terrific on the post.
and the stories
I love seeing the heron
and any shots of birds

been dying to do this for ages CyberDyneSystems
you deserve to see my very very green water shots.
before I go out

and in your space too
(some were on before )


best wishes

marie

marie wrote:
http://www.pbase.com/i​mage/17918993
http://www.pbase.com/i​mage/17918986
http://www.pbase.com/i​mage/17919863
http://www.pbase.com/i​mage/17918942


all the pictures are terrific on the post.
and the stories
I love seeing the heron
and any shots of birds

been dying to do this for ages CyberDyneSystems
you deserve to see my very very green water shots.
before I go out

and in your space too
(some were on before )


best wishes

marie

Great shots, Marie.

Curious! They look like the Great Blue Heron but they seem to be dwarfed (like the legs are too short). Or was it the angle from which the picture was taken that makes them look that way? Or maybe they're a different species all together (don't have my Sibley's bird guide just right now so I can't look it up to verify).

MARIE -- Love those Herons!
***************
I love those Herons (esp #1 & #2). The water is so green in #3 too . I never get this close. Never close enough to see the feathers. Good thing these are not GREEN Heron or we'd be looking for the Blarney Stone!.. just kidding... especially so now that I've finished reading how "The Irish Saved Civilization". Thank you Ireland.

HERON standing in a Pond
***************
But let me add another shot of one of my Herons. I just got 2 shots off . Then, when I moved forward I frightened the bird.

DARWIN: Heron vs FROGS = Fright&Flight vs Fight
***************
The log in this image usually supports about 5 suning turtles. They're as quick to dive as the Herons are to fly. Which made me wonder about the extent to which the "Survival of the Fittest" is evident in their "flight" reaction.

HYPOTHESIS:
***********
Herons and Turtles are "ancient species" because they are imprinted with the "flight" gene. I'm not so sure about frogs!

What's your opinion? !

HOWIE

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Another beautifull and serene image Howie,. the floating on a log gives a different feel to it as well.

Marie,. those are fabulous! I can't get over the Heron "chillin" with the Seal!
Thanks for posting those.

thank you PacAce

yes, it may have been the angle I was taking the pictures from , that their legs look a little dwarfted .
you could be right.
you know if we take a picture of someone and we are on a height of any kind
they can look a bit distorted when the person is lower down.
maybe thats it.
I have not got a clue what type of heron they are
watching all here on the post I see the different sorts which makes it very interesting .


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

thank you howie,
that picture you show here is just BEAUTIFUL

I am mad mad mad... about your pictures.
(those last three words are very important in this sentence )
the colours , the setting, the whole scene ,
that heron perched, calm water and the far shore showing golden glows.
it is most beautiful .

the turtles must be fairly small to move so fast ?

great goings on in nature all the time
and the pictures really tell a great story

thank you. its really beautiful

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you CyberDyneSystems

punishment ......... (for me or you ) ?
you don't have to say anything
(right, you are speechless )
its disgusting of me but just showing a few more shots of the seals and the heron together
http://www.pbase.com/i​mage/17918998

http://www.pbase.com/i​mage/17976743
http://www.pbase.com/i​mage/17976751
http://www.pbase.com/i​mage/17976759


http://www.pbase.com/i​mage/17918929
http://www.pbase.com/i​mage/17918935


now tell me you still love to see shots of herons
hope I have not killed them off for good

one shot is repeated but I had a different title under it because its showing after another shot which may explain .
not great but ....
have a good day


regards
marie

marie wrote:

its disgusting of me but just showing a few more shots of the seals and the heron together
http://www.pbase.com/i​mage/17918998

http://www.pbase.com/i​mage/17976743
http://www.pbase.com/i​mage/17976751
http://www.pbase.com/i​mage/17976759


http://www.pbase.com/i​mage/17918929
http://www.pbase.com/i​mage/17918935


now tell me you still love to see shots of herons
hope I have not killed them off for good

one shot is repeated but I had a different title under it because its showing after another shot which may explain .
not great but ....
have a good day


regards
marie

Now,. you didn't think that I would follow the first set of links without browsing some more,.. I allready found the other Heron seal pics! I can't get over the Heron hanging out so close to that big 'ol mamal! I never thought they were only shy of us Primates,..


Looks like we need a Heron Only Share Photos section!