Green heron out on a limb

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Green heron out on a limb

August 10, 2013 by Mike Powell

The water has gone down in some parts of my local marsh and I encountered this Green Heron (Butorides virescens) in a little tree that overlooked one of the dried out areas.

I am not sure if the heron was hunting or resting, although it looked more like the former than the latter, because he seemed to be looking from side to side. Perhaps he was searching for frogs or some other terrestrial prey.

I did not have my longest telephoto lens on my camera, but I was happy that to get some several decent shot of the little heron in a number of different poses.

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Butorides virescens, Canon 50D, Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, green heron, heron, Huntley Meadows Park | 7 Comments

7 Responses

on August 10, 2013 at 9:57 pm | Reply derb523622013

Do you know why it’s called a Green Heron when I cannot detect any green coloring on him at all?
- on August 10, 2013 at 10:17 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Supposedly the back has a greenish tint, but it looks gray to me.
on August 11, 2013 at 12:26 am | Reply nliakosina Liakos

These are great shots. We have Green Herons here on Clopper Lake but I’ve never managed to get a photo of one.
- on August 11, 2013 at 5:45 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. For some reason I keep seeing green herons in places where I can get a clear shot. Normally I’d expect to see them at the edge of the water, hidden by brush.
on August 11, 2013 at 9:06 am | Reply New Hampshire Gardener

Nice shots! You’re having great luck getting close to these skittish birds.
on August 11, 2013 at 12:43 pm | Reply iseebeautyallaroundbyrobpaine

nice photos mike
- on August 11, 2013 at 1:07 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, I am having amazingly good fortune in seeing subjects like this without obstructions.