Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
Dominick Lofino Park, Beavercreek, Ohio
"Creativity is the blue heron within us waiting to fly; through her imagination, all things become possible." - Nadia Janice Brown
I consider any moment I get with these water bird beauties to be a special occasion. Perhaps the first bird that got me interested in birding, great blues are a very common sight in Ohio, yet are always interesting. At the local pond for an evening shoot/walk, this one was having a fishy dinner. Watching herons and egrets hunt for fish is deeply fascinating for the patient observer. As they raise their wings almost as if to fly, then lower their neck near the water. Within an eye's blink, they lunge their entire head underwater and either hit or miss the catch. I would say this heron found success with one out of every five attempts.
While this image started life in color, something about the high ISO and noise I had to shoot with changed my mind. I prefer the monochromatic look a little bit more. Something about this desaturation allows the emphasis to be placed on this single bird, and your eyes are lead to the white under the beak. While they can stand up really tall when surprised or alert, this one seemed satisfied laying low and bunching up. Every encounter has me learning something new about herons.
© 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.
