Winter Great Blue Heron in flight in front of the Wasatch Range – Nikon D500, f8, 1/2500, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
It wasn’t all that “birdy” yesterday morning at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and if it hadn’t been for some Great Blue Herons taking shelter from the biting, winter wind I may have come home with only one long distance, documentary photo of a gull I wanted to identify.
The Great Blue Herons were in the rushes that line the bank of the Bear River near the beginning of the auto tour route. I have no idea what the actually temp was at the time but the wind made my bare fingers and hands hurt within a minute so I can only imagine how the herons felt.
Great Blue Heron on a windy winter day – Nikon D500, f6.3, 1/3200, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
The sun was shining and I had birds in front of me so I was happy but it didn’t take long for me to realize I either needed to put gloves on to protect them from the icy wind or continue until my hands and fingers screamed for mercy. I continued photographing the herons.
Great Blue Herons seeking shelter from the wind – Nikon D500, f6.3, 1/2000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
The Great Blue Herons were hunkered down in the rushes with the warmth of the sunlight on them but they still looked cold. These herons are tough birds though, tougher than I am because it only took a few more minutes before I decided my hands were hurting too much and that the wind was just plain awful.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Great Blue Heron photos plus facts and information about this species.
Nice, nice, nice Mia…esp. the first…
The flight shot is so beautiful — there’s something regal about the GBH. And the poor little guys do look really cold. Hope you and they have warmed up since then.
Stunning images.
I hope your hands warmed up quickly,
The cold wind is especially chilling on bare skin, which we’ve had several days now. Thanks for enduring it long enough for these nice shots.
They really do look hunkered down. Amazing how the wind can change the chill effect, especially on the hands. Very nice photos despite the cold.
Majestic in flight!
The image of the Great Blue Heron soaring upward with the blurred background of the mountains is stunning! Nicely done!
Been there, done that re the icy hands. My logic is: there are birds to be photographed! Great shots of the Great Blues.
Love the herons. They are there when the rest Rr hidden.