Yesterday I went shooting on Theodore Roosevelt Island, a small nature preserve in the Potomac River, just opposite Washington D.C. that is accessible by a small bridge from the Virginia side and got this shot of a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias). The heron took off when I got a little too close to it.
One of the interesting problems of shooting in an urban environment is that it is hard to control the background. The long shape behind the heron is a one-man crew scull. If I hadn’t cropped the image, you would have been able to see the brightly clothed rower.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
A lovely shot!
Thanks. I love trying to catch birds in flight and this was one that worked out pretty well.
It’s always great to get a heron, especially in flight. Perhaps the rowers should be advised to wear camo if they are heading into wildlife shots. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.
Great shot, you should have put up both pics. for a comparison..:-)
That’s an excellent photo. Just imagine what the guy in the boat must see as he travels the river.
Thanks. There are some folks who take photos from kayaks and it’s really cool to see wildlife from that perspective. With the long shells that I see on the river, it seems that the folks are more interested in speed than in seeing nature.
This is breathtaking!
That’s. I never tire of trying to get shots of these beautiful birds.
Great shot, Mike!! Is it really a blue heron? It looks more colourful than the blue herons we have here (maybe there are different kinds of blue heron?)
It’s definitely a Great Blue Heron. I’ll have to look on line and see if the European version is different. I seem to recall that there are versions of birds with similar names that are completely different, like the robin.
Love this picture and love Roosevelt Island!!