Our great blue herons have returned and are starting to build their nests. There is a rookery here right in town along the Mississippi River. It's a great place to practice flight shots because the herons are continuously circling the island, bringing sticks back to the nest. Unfortunately there is no good vantage point for nest interactions, due to overhanging branches obscuring the view. So all of my photos are variations on a theme. I decided to put my handheld 500mm (+TC) skills to practice. Last year I used the tripod, but I found that not using it this time was very liberating. Of course my arms and back are quite sore today!
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