The sky was completely overcast early yesterday morning and most of the birds seemed to be sleeping in. One notable exception was this Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias).
I spotted him in the distance flying in my direction at a pretty good speed. Normally Great Blue Herons seem to fly at a leisurely pace, but this one appeared to be in a hurry. Although the heron looked beautiful when its wings were fully extended, as in the first image, the heron appeared menacing—almost like a predator—when he was flying straight at me with legs extended.
As the Great Blue Heron flew overhead, I was treated to a great view of the underside of its body and wings, an angle of view that I rarely see, given that herons are usually flying away from me when I spot them.
I am on the fence about whether I like the white sky or not as a background. It is certainly uncluttered, but it seems a bit unnatural, almost like I was posing the bird in a studio setting.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Wonderful.
Thanks, Victor.
Great captures Mike!
Thanks, Chris. I love trying to capture birds in flight, and herons make great subjects.
Awesome
Thanks.
Those are unusual views of a great blue heron. I usually see tail feathers.
I’ve been hoping for a sky like that all summer. It’s perfect for flower photography.
The light was definitely diffused, although there wasn’t really enough light for my tastes and I was forced to raise the ISO to higher levels than I prefer.