A great blue heron, the picture and the tale




Some days are a goldmine for finding birds and others are a bust. The birds are always there though you may not see them. Obeying the rule of the 'golden hour' is very important, not just for birds but all animals who are diurnal. The golden hour is the period of daytime shortly after sunrise and/or before sunset, during which daylight is softer than when the sun is higher in the sky. Almost as soon as I stepped out of the car this particular morning it was a goldmine, as I took well over a hundred pictures. I entered the treed area on a trail, and within a hundred yards was listening to tons of birds making calls louder than I had ever heard before; clearly something had upset them. Every once in awhile I could hear rustling in the bushes;  but couldn't determine what was making the noise. While stopping to listen to the lovely calls, patience was going to be key. Birds were flying all over the place: from tree to tree and hopping around the on the ground. Two of them actually buzzed me--- that woke me up for sure! After what seemed like ten minutes, the commotion-maker appeared; a beautiful bald eagle flying away. Unfortunately, my position didn't give me opportunities for pictures, too many trees and bushes in the way. My day had already been made; I could have turned around and packed it in but I didn't. The mornings are too special to me, the peace and quiet, bird sounds, no stress; the list of positives is huge. Continuing on my walk, there was just one bird posing for me after another, it was up to me to get the right shot. The great blue heron above was surveying its world, moving ever so slightly, amazingly on just one leg. Just one primary issue, there was no way to get a clear shot. Most of this heron is in sharp focus but the eye is not as sharp as I would like it. The brown shadows are branches that I either shot through or were in the background. To me the picture is still great and the and the experience was wonderful. 

 

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  1. scott gillespieDecember 13, 2020 at 10:24 AM

    this is a test comment. some comments are apparently not showing on the blog

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