Green Heron in cattail shoots

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Green Heron in cattail shoots

May 1, 2013 by Mike Powell

On Monday as it was raining, I encountered a Green Heron (Butorides virescens), one of my favorite birds. Initially he was perched atop an abandoned beaver lodge, but he took to the air as I approached. He flew to the edge of a cattail patch, where new shoots have started to appear during the last couple of weeks. The cattail shoots help contribute to the green backdrop for this Green Heron.

I was happy that I was able to get an unobstructed path to this little heron—normally Green Herons are at the edge of the water or are in trees, where it’s almost impossible to get a clear shot.

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Butorides virescens, Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, cattail shoots, green heron, heron, Huntley Meadows Park | 13 Comments

13 Responses

on May 1, 2013 at 9:15 pm | Reply joeschelling

Great shot, Mike. Those guys are real skulkers and usually fly off the instant they realize you see them.
- on May 1, 2013 at 9:22 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Le. In fact, after I snapped off this one photo, he flew off again as I tried to get a little closer.
on May 1, 2013 at 9:17 pm | Reply feralc4t

Nice clear shot 🙂
- on May 1, 2013 at 9:20 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. I was thrilled when he stopped there, instead of flying deeper into the undergrowth.
  - on May 1, 2013 at 9:30 pm feralc4t
    
    My reactions are so slow I would be lucky to catch a slug in motion 😀
on May 1, 2013 at 9:42 pm | Reply Ed

Wowzers…fantastic shot..:-)
on May 1, 2013 at 10:33 pm | Reply Charlie@Seattle Trekker

Gorgeous photo; I am learning a great deal about the world I live in through your blog.
on May 2, 2013 at 12:32 am | Reply lylekrahn

Really nice. Looks deep in thot.
- on May 2, 2013 at 4:52 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Probably thinking about how to avoid the pesky photographer (or how to scare up some food).
on May 2, 2013 at 6:51 am | Reply New Hampshire Gardener

Nice. I’ve never been able to get close to one of these birds.
- on May 2, 2013 at 7:05 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  The boardwalk that runs through parts of my local marshland park gives me a real advantage in capturing images like this. Instead of being at the edge of activity, you are in the middle of it (if you can keep from spooking the animals, birds, and insects).
on May 2, 2013 at 7:27 pm | Reply Sue

Be-you-tiful. Love the color, love the natural pose, and no silly sticks in front of the bird. Well done.
- on May 2, 2013 at 7:45 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. It really is hard to get an unobstructed shot of these little guys. One advantage of being out in the rain for me was that there were fewer people around to spook the birds, so I was able to work in relative peace. It’s a little hard for me to imagine trying to get the shots that you did in Cuba in a group.