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Thursday, April 12, 2007

Snapping the Great Blue Heron


This morning, as I searched the shoreline across the bay for the missing resident alligator, I was suddenly looking right at a well-camouflaged Great Blue Heron. "Oh, he's been there an hour" said my son-in-law who had been fishing nearby.

So I grabbed my camera, telephoto lens, and tripod. I snapped quite a few pictures and put this sequence together as he stalked and caught a small fish.


The largest and most widespread heron in North America, the Great Blue Heron can be found along the ocean shore or the edge of a small inland pond. An all white form is found from southern Florida into the Caribbean, and used to be considered a separate species, the "Great White Heron."

Description

  • Large, gray bird.

  • Long legs

  • Long, "S"-shaped neck.
  • Long, thick bill.
  • White crown stripe.
  • Black plume extending from behind eye to off the back of the neck.
  • Shaggy feathers on neck and back.
  • Bluish gray back, wings, and belly.
  • Reddish or gray neck.
  • White morph all white with pale legs, yellow bill.
  • Size: 97-137 cm (38-54 in)
  • Wingspan: 167-201 cm (66-79 in)
  • Weight: 2100-2500 g (74.13-88.25 ounces)
  • Sexes look alike.
  • Call a deep, hoarse croak.

1 comments:

bloggerme said...

Holy Moly - that's near your house??? What gorgeous shots!!!

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Gabby Faye
Michigan, United States
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