Great Blue Heron thread

[Steve S]

I will be posting all my heron pics in this thread. I invite anyone who wants to post their heron pics here as well. I've only had time to edit a couple so i'll start with these.

All shots are with a canon 40D and 300 f/4L + 1.4TC. Edits are with a combination of DXO/Lightroom/Photoshop

[tameigh]

Saw my first one this season yesterday. Flying over the ice. The only shot I got was of the back end flying away though, but I was grinning ear to ear just to see it. That and migrating geese for the first time this spring, and red-wing blackbirds. Spring sprang yesterday. Too bad it was snowing when I woke up.

[Steve S]

More snow really sux! Spring is deff. in the air though,the herons are starting to breed. If you can find a nesting site, you will get all the heron images you ever wanted. Around here they seem to like nesting in sycamore trees. I think it is because they are the last to get leaves on them and it helps them when they land on the nest.

[Steve S]

[MiniChris]

I'll post mine here, though they are a far cry less detailed than yours...then again, I am shooting with a 50mm 1.8 lens, so not too shabby.

[mythlady]

Here's an old one:



and a very old one, taken with my dear old Canon S2, when I was a baby photographer of just four months' experience . . . :

[ScoutR]

, Beautiful Steve, I've been looking forward to this years series. Have a good season - looking forward to seeing more

Wendy

[ScoutR]

Here's an old one:

I love this one Elise. I have one I was working on with a similar background but my heron was just standing around waiting for a fish and I think I brought in some halos when I processed. yours looks perfect to me.

Wendy

Edit: I already had this in my album but never posted it. So here is my PP'd (Poorly Processed) heron.

[mythlady]

Thanks, Wendy -- I spent probably half an hour photographing that guy -- he was not the least bit disturbed that I was following him around with a big old lens. I find that Great Blues are pretty unflappable, maybe because they're so big. I've been able to get pretty close to them. The bottom one, I was very close, with a point and shoot.

Steve, I think yours are remarkable, and Chris, nothing to sneeze at either, especially with a 50mm -- ?? Great flight shots, both of you. I never seem to get those.

[Steve S]

Nice job chris, lots of detail in those images. How did you get so close?

[Steve S]

Love the first one elise. I'm jealous, i've never gotten one with a fish yet.

[Steve S]

Thank you wendy, i think you cooked that one just a little. Good composition though.

[Steve S]

Here is a little behavioral sequence. Often i see them do this. When the male returns back to the nest the female greets him by streatching her neck out and looking straight up. Not too shure what it means but it happens quite often.


The surprise fly in from behind...........





The landing.......




The greeting.............

[mythlady]

Steve, those are exquisite, and I'm so jealous -- I've never seen a nest. Beautiful.

[Steve S]

Thanks elise, glad you liked them.

Here is a different shot. I could see this one through a small hole in the trees as it flew into its nest. I tried timing it to catch the bird when it was in the hole for a clear shot. The interstate makes for a very different background.

[jamn4ex]

Thats fantastic work steve!! I am looking forward to a day on the river, and hoping to see some heron.

[MiniChris]

Is your DoF about 4 feet, max?

[Steve S]

Thats fantastic work steve!! I am looking forward to a day on the river, and hoping to see some heron.

Thanks james, hope you get some shots on the river.

[Steve S]

Chris, depth of field is dependent on the distance , which is always changing on these shots. I usually shoot between f/5.6 and f/8. Most of the time it's wide open at f/5.6. I usually need all the shutter speed i can get. ISO is between 500 and 1250 depending on how much light i have. Often it is 800 or 1000 to get me up around 1/1600s shutter speed.

[Steve S]

For a large bird, they are very agile. They can turn on a dime and dive into their nest in seconds......................