The muted tones of this Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) seemed to be a perfect match for the gray water and skies this past weekend at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The heron almost seemed to be playing hopscotch as it made its way along a series of posts and then extended its wings for balance when it reached the final post.
If you closely at the water you can see a lot of floating debris, caused by runoff and tidal surges from recent heavy rains—we have had well over double the normal amount of rainfall during the month of September.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
It’s one thing to see them perching in the tops of trees or on bare branches, but quite another to see one manage this kind of landing. It’s a great capture.
Thanks. I love to watch herons. Often they are motionless for long periods of time, so it was nice to catch one in action. (Thanks too for the alert about your comments going to spam.)
I love seeing these guys take off and land. They are so agile.
I stopped at my favorite park this morning, and the water is creeping up the boat ramp into the parking lot. We’ve had so much rain this year..
My comments have been going to spam, but the good folks at Akismet may have solved the problem. Check your spam folder, and you should find my “real” comment there.
Thanks for the alert. I, in fact, was thrilled to find your wonderful comment in the spam folder.