Heron over the marsh

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Heron over the marsh

November 17, 2013 by Mike Powell

I was moving forward slowly in the underbrush, trying to get closer to some ducks, when out of the corner of my eye I detected some motion. It was a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) flying low over the waters of the marshland pond.

I didn’t have time to check the settings on my camera, but the heron’s slow speed in flight did allow me to get off a few shots. This was one of the few times that I have been able to capture a bird in flying parallel to the ground at eye level and I really like this perspective.

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Ardea herodias, birds in flight, Canon 50D, Canon 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens, Great Blue Heron, heron, Huntley Meadows Park | 18 Comments

18 Responses

on November 17, 2013 at 6:44 am | Reply Brent

yea! nice pics!!
- on November 17, 2013 at 6:56 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. The herons look awkward sometimes on the ground, but really graceful in the air.
  - on November 17, 2013 at 7:00 am Brent
    
    there are quite a few around here actually. and two diffrent kinds of white egrets, one with yellow feet, the other with black. then if you get down towsrds the beach you can see a couple of… heron like.. i forget the names.. night-somethings!
  - on November 18, 2013 at 6:38 am Mike Powell
    
    It sounds like I would like it there, since I love watching and photographing egrets and herons. As for the other bird, is it possibly a black-crowned night heron?
  - on November 18, 2013 at 6:43 am Brent
    
    i’d have to look it up.. i’ve got it somewhere!
    some of the marshes are pretty cool. this is total suburbia, so not a whole lot of green, but the wildlife seem to take advantage of it all!
    There is a wild phesant near the place where I took a few pictures of a bridge and where I was riding.. beautiful bird!
on November 17, 2013 at 8:13 am | Reply Ed

Excellent pics..:-)
on November 17, 2013 at 8:17 am | Reply New Hampshire Gardener

Those are great shots!
on November 17, 2013 at 8:32 am | Reply Sue

Really nice photos, Mike.
on November 17, 2013 at 11:59 am | Reply enmanscamera

the second shot is perfect Mike!
- on November 17, 2013 at 11:31 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. I am working on my techniques and was lucky enough to be able to capture this perspective.
on November 17, 2013 at 1:15 pm | Reply nliakos

I love how herons fly so low over the water. They are so elegant and graceful!
- on November 17, 2013 at 11:30 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  They are gawky and awkward most of the time, but so graceful in the air.
on November 17, 2013 at 5:41 pm | Reply Bella Remy Photography

Those darned GBH’s. Flying off before we’re ready every time. Great shots!
- on November 17, 2013 at 11:29 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. This is one of those cases when the bird was in the air before I even saw it. When it takes off when I am watching it, I have a much better chance of getting ready. 🙂
on November 17, 2013 at 10:35 pm | Reply Lyle Krahn

That is a nice perspective. You are getting quicker at this!
- on November 17, 2013 at 11:20 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Lyle. With practice I feel like I am improving little by little in capturing birds in flight. I am getting more familiar with the settings on my camera and in adjusting them more rapidly.
on November 18, 2013 at 9:17 am | Reply dibear

Beautiful shots Mike. You could have used these for the “Blue” Sunday Stills Challenge. 🙂
- on November 18, 2013 at 9:25 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. It seems like folks have a lot of fun with these challenges. Are they WordPress challenges or do they come from somewhere else?