In the weak early morning light, the sky and the water merged together, providing an uncluttered backdrop for this portrait of a Great Blue Heron.
I’ve taken quite a few photos of Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias), but rarely have I encountered one as cooperative as this one was early on Monday morning. He looked to be cold and may have been trying to snooze as he huddled near the edge of the boardwalk. He let me get pretty close to him and didn’t seem to object to my presence, though he did follow me with his eyes. As a result of his tolerance, I was able to capture more detail in the heron’s feathers than I usually can manage.
After a few shots, I left him in peace to catch a few more winks.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Super picture!
Thanks. I love the reflection in the shot and, as I noted, the heron was super cooperative in letting me get the shot.
Nice shot. You were lucky the surface was still enough to get such a great reflection.
Thanks. It was a really peaceful morning as I had my moment alone with the heron.
Reblogged this on peter singhatey and commented:
Great Picture
Nice catch!
Thanks, Greg. I never tire of getting shots Great Blue Herons and this is one of my favorite images of one to date.
Oh, this photo is just stunning in it’s detail. This is one to print and frame!!
really nice Mike, I want to thank you for all the great photos you have posted since I have started following your blog. I especially like that most of your photos have been shot in Northern Va., now I just have to make the time to get back to Huntley Meadows. I hope to bump into you some morning in the new year! Merry Christmas, Rob
Thanks, Rob. I feel like Huntley Meadows is my second home and I usually am there at least a couple of times a week. It helps me see the changes as we move through the seasons and provides me with ample subject matter for my photos. Thanks for your encouragement and best wishes for a Merry Christmas for you too.
Thats and ACE heron shot..:-)
I wonder if it knows you by name?
We spend enough personal time together that we should be on a first name basis. Seriously, though, I worry that this little guy’s survival skills may not be well enough developed for him to survive the winter, though I am rooting for him.
This is really nice — it looks like a painting, a really good painting!
Thanks, Sue. I like the idea a lot.
Nice pic. Check out babsje photos on the great blues. Am sure you’ll love it. http://babsjeheron.wordpress.com/
Thanks for the link. I really like blue herons and love the blog (am following it now).
Wow, that is an amazingly crisp reflection!! Great shot.
Somehow the reflection looks almost fake, but if you look closely you can see that there are some details not in the original (because of the angle). The water was really still that early morning.