Great Blue Heron flying in front of the Wasatch Mountains – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
It isn’t everyday I get to see and photograph a Great Blue Heron in flight with the Wasatch Mountains in the background but I had that opportunity two afternoons ago at a pond close to home. I saw the heron flying in from the south and I hoped it would turn towards the pond where the light would be better and it did.
The afternoon light was beautiful on both the bird and the mountains and even though the bird was further away from me than I would have liked I simply couldn’t resist taking photos of it. It seemed to be moving in slow motion which gave me time to lock on to the bird as it flew up towards the top of the willow.
Great Blue Heron landing on a Willow – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I regrettably missed six frames just before the Great Blue landed because of some unexpected movement which caused me to lose focus but I was able to very quickly lock back on to the heron and continued to photograph it as it landed on the leafless willow.
Since it was late afternoon I wondered if the Great Blue Heron uses the willow to roost on during the night, one morning before sunrise I should drive down to the pond and see if it does. I doubt if it is there this morning though because the wind is howling outside due to a weather front coming in that is supposed to bring snow to the valley floor this afternoon. We’ll see, the weather forecasters here are wrong more often than they are right. If it does snow, and that is a big “if”, I hope to be able to go down to the pond and see what I can photograph with falling snow in the frame. Maybe the Great Blue Heron will show up, who knows!
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Great Blue Heron photos plus facts and information about this species.
Thank you all for your comments 🙂
Great Blue Herons are among my very favorite birds. I’m so used to seeing them standing on the ground that I admit to being surprised whenever I come across one in a treetop. Thanks for some fantastic shots!
Glorious. I hope you do get your snow. And marvel at the landing skills of the heron (and every other bird).
Two terrific images of a favorite of mine. Good work Mia! This storm will drop snow but not sure of the amount.
The image with the willows is especially appealing, not only because of the heron’s pose, but also because of the golden light.