As I was watching a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) in the shallow waters of low tide on Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, the heron seemed startled when it sensed my presence and took to the air without warning. I had the presence of mind to react almost as quickly and captured a short series of shots that I have presented here in reverse chronological order.
When I first spotted the heron it was looking off into the distance with its neck fully outstretched—I was amazed at how far its neck extended, as you can see in the final photo. I watched the heron as it walked along slowly scanning the water as it searched for fish. It was quite windy and the water seemed really choppy, which probably made things more difficult for the heron.
I captured the middle shot just after the heron had taken off and you can see water drops coming off of the heron’s feet if you zoom in on the image. I was most shocked that I managed to capture the image of the heron with outstretched wings—the heron got really wide really quickly and I was almost zoomed in too closely. I actually cut it even closer than it appears and I added a bit of additional water to the left and upper image edges of the shot to create the image that you see.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Nice Series of Great Blue Heron Images Mike! Enjoyed seeing them!
Thanks, Reed. The Great Blue Herons are with us all year, so I am pretty sure you’ll see them in my postings at least a few more times this winter. 🙂
All 3 shots are gorgeous, but it’s the center one that makes my heart pound … wishing for capacity to lift off and rise above all the craziness that threatens (tho, like the heron, what frightens me may not be what’s actually threatening and what’s actually threatening may not be on my radar at all …)
Thanks. In many ways, the center shot is my favorite too. Usually I lead my postings with my favorite photo, but I don’t like the way that WordPress displays portrait-format photos in the Reader, so I decided to lead with one in landscape-format. 🙂
I especially like the enclosing curves in the next-to-the-last shot, the one of the takeoff.
Thanks, Steve. I have never heard the term “enclosing curves,” but it sure seems to fit. 🙂
Always fun shots, nicely done 😀😀😀.
Great capture, Mike. These guys never seem to be bothered by anything. You must have caught one sleeping or highly focused on his next meal.
Excellent photos! Especially the photo with the heron taking off!
Very good exposures with the long lens. Thanks for sharing, Mike.
Great series, Mike. That neck is indeed very long. Your re-centering trick is a handy one. I have been known to do this in photoshop too!
Thanks, Chris. I don’t mind adding a little bit of additional real estate to an image, but worry about it looking too fake if I add too much.
Can’t pick it on this image!
You must be DELIGHTED with these shots! I have never seen heron wing details like that. The feather textures on the neck when its looking off into the distance! Oh my! I keep thinking you cannot ever get a better shot of my favorite bird. And then you do it, again.
I am thrilled with the shots, Molly, but never completely satisfied. I am always optimistic that I can get better shots, which is one of my primary motivations that keep me going out over and over again with my camera.
The wing shot shows its remarkable size and build. It’s a wonder that they get airborne so quickly. Nice set, Mike!
Thanks, Eliza. I think the length and power of those wings help them to take off so quickly, unlike some of the smaller birds that have to run across the water to gain momentum before they get airborne.
That middle shot is amazing! The Great Blue Heron is the bird that got me into bird-watching as a teenager, and I still love them.
It is very cool to learn that the Great Blue Heron was the entry bird for you into the crazy world of birdwatching. I love to observe them too and have spent long periods of time watching and waiting, hoping that I will be ready when they strike or take off.
These are AMAZING images, Mike. You outdid yourself! I love enlarging the images to see details of water droplets, eyes, feathers, etc. It feels as though these beautiful creatures are right here in my living room with me.
Thanks, Nina. I deliberately post images that are larger than necessary so that viewers like you have the option of seeing all those wonderful details. The water droplets were a really nice bonus that I did not expect.
Great pictures. Wonderful detail.