Families: Ardeidae, Ciconiidae, Phoenicopteridae, Threskiorithidae
Wading birds are long legged, long necked, long billed birds that include herons, egrets, flamingos, ibis, bitterns, spoonbills, and storks. Many of the wading birds forage by wading in shallow water but not all do that exclusively, some wading birds forage in pastures, wet meadows, on beaches, fresh and saltwater shorelines, grassy slopes, mudflats or from vegetation in marshes.
I took this Great Blue Heron image on December 1st at Charleston Lake Park in Franklin County, Arkansas, on the same day as the cormorant photos I recently shared.
I photographed this Great Blue Heron two days ago when the autumn sky was gray with clouds on Sally Jones Lake at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.
I'm delighted to be able to share my first White-faced Ibis photos at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma taken yesterday. I really like these birds.
When I was walking around Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday, I stopped to photograph a foraging Great Blue Heron at Sally Jones Lake.
This morning, I'm sharing three Green Heron photos plus a short video that were taken at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma earlier this month.
After a great session photographing young Barred Owls at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, I also took some photos of a Great Blue Heron in a nearby slough.
Is this a landscape photo with a Great Egret in it or a bird image with a bottomlands hardwood forest habitat in it? You get to decide, it doesn't matter to me.
This landing Cattle Egret is slightly symbolic of my arrival in a new state and seeing the birds and wildlife of Oklahoma right outside my back door every day.
When I was at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge a few days ago, I found and photographed this Western Cattle Egret while on the Wildlife Drive auto tour route.
For me, I feel peaceful when I view this Great Blue Heron photo from Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge. The lush habitat plus the bird makes me feel that way.
I took this Great Egret photo yesterday at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge. Even with the morning mist, I could tell something fluffy was stuck on its bill.
On my last trip up to Bear River MBR, I stopped to take a video on the auto tour loop, and a Great Blue Heron surprised me by flying into view over the river.
Today, I'm sharing a simple Great Blue Heron photo I took late last month at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. I liked the heron's reflection on the Bear River.
Yesterday morning, I was surprised to find Great Blue Herons already at the nests of the rookery at Farmington Bay WMA. There were more than twenty herons.
On New Year's Day, I photographed two small flocks of White-faced Ibis at Bear River MBR. It isn't unusual at all for this ibis species to overwinter at the refuge.
I photographed this Great Blue Heron almost two years ago, walking gingerly on the thinning ice of the Bear River. I was on my way to the auto tour loop at the refuge when I spotted this heron.
Snow is supposed to start falling around 10 a.m. where I live in northern Utah. It might be the first significant snowfall of this winter down in the valley.
While going through my archives this morning, I found this photo of a Black-crowned Night Heron in flight. It was taken in the marsh at Farmington Bay WMA in 2021.
If you want to take Great Blue Heron photos in winter, on snow and ice, then head to Bear River MBR in Utah after the marsh freezes and the snow starts to fall.
On my last trip to Bear River MBR, I was able to take images of this White-faced Ibis preening, leaning, and walking in the wetlands next to the auto tour loop.
One of my favorite photos from my trip to Bear River MBR last Monday was of this Great Blue Heron in a natural alcove along the bank of the Bear River.
Earlier this week, I found this adult Great Blue Heron in a Flasher pose while resting on a human-made nest in a pond at Farmington Bay WMA in northern Utah.
One of the first birds I photographed this autumn was this fluffed-up Snowy Egret glowing in a natural spotlight in the marsh at Farmington Bay WMA.
I photographed this late summer, adult Great Blue Heron resting on a human-made nest box at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area a few days ago.
A quick post about a Great Blue Heron hunting for breakfast in Azolla at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in June in Oklahoma.
I took this Great Egret portrait at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma in June while I was visiting my friend and fellow photographer, Steve Creek.
When I visited my friend Steve Creek, I photographed this Great Egret at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge. The red vegetation floating on the water is azolla.
Until a few days ago, I hadn't photographed a single Yellow-crowned Night Heron in almost fourteen years. I photographed this one at Sequoyah NWR in Oklahoma.
More fresh snow on the ground this morning. I am snow weary. What I need is a bird, nature, gone exploring in the wild fix with no real or clear return time.
When I took photos of this Great Egret with a twisted neck and buggy eyes at Fort De Soto I didn't think I'd still be laughing at them fourteen years later.