Great Blue Heron

[zoomn]

geoffs,

Well that sounds good in theory.

Bummer is that the pond is on private property at a gravel pit.

The only day I can sneak in there is Sunday, or after 7:00 at night. That is why there are 0 people at the pond.

[geoffs]

Oh. Well, that does indeed present problems, zoomn! Why don't you go to the property owners and see if they will give you permission to go there anytime you want?

[eric s]

It is really all about how used to humans they are. In Flordia, someone here posted a picture of an Egret which comes into his kitchen every morning to eat some food he leaves out for it.

Yes, you read that right. Walks into the kitchen in his house!

I've gotten lucky with a few herons (Great Blue and Green) and gotten very close. Oh, and an American Bittern. So that is 3 birds in over a year. I got within about 6 feet of each of them. And I have some very nice pictures of them. Like these (I posted here awhile back)
http://www.marx7.org/~esmith/web_posts/green_heron1.jpg
or
http://www.marx7.org/~esmith/images/...on_behind1.jpg
and
http://www.marx7.org/~esmith/images/...eron_side1.jpg

I went back 4 times in one week and saw the green heron there each time. It was great. All those shots were taken about a year go, with my 100-400 lens.

Eric

[geoffs]

eric s wrote:

Yes, you read that right. Walks into the kitchen in his house!

Just too funny, Eric. That didn't just happen out of the blue. The homeowner must have gradually lured the heron closer and closer to the house and then into the kitchen with food offerings, wouldn't you think?

And very nice pictures you pointed at!

[bobbyz]

Geoffs, nice shots of the heron. I found one over the weekend, but he was too far. Maybe next time.

[geoffs]

Thanks, bobbyz - appreciate your looking in on the pictures!

[eric s]

Ya, I assume it took some training, but now it just comes right into the house. I have a hard time imagining an egret just walking into my kitchen.

I like that second shot as well. I would probably have dropped the exposure a little bit. The lights seem a little hot. But I like it.

Eric

[geoffs]

Thanks for the compliment on the second photo, Eric. It's going to take a lot more photos under a lot of differing conditions before I really have a good feel for how to manipulate exposure to my advantage. The good news is that I think I am going to have that chance very soon now as I start going out on banding days starting next week with a master bander in a local organization. I hope to get a banding license eventually.

As for the heron walking into the kitchen, I know it would scare the dickens out of my wife and it's possible it could scare me too. The bill and feet on that bird could definitely be weapons if it wants to use them.

[SoOregon]

When I was in Florida, I went to visit my parents at their condo. It is surrounded by a green area and has a lagoon. There was a grey heron pair that had made their nest in one of the trees and every evening this gentleman would come out and fish for those inedible fish ¿mullets?. He'd hand feed the herons. They came everyday for dinner. When I was in St. Petersburg somebody was feeding one a dog fish. The heron was a bit skittish with all the pedestrian traffic on the pier so eventually they threw the fish to the side and the heron made off with it. I was able to get quite close to the one I photographed. I was within 10 feet down in the rushes. I was very quiet and although I think the heron knew I was there he was too busy fishing to fly away, Señor Garza, http://heather2.smugmug.com/gallery/162850.

[geoffs]

soOregon - it's amazing how so many animals can give the appearance of being tame when lured by food. Heck, my father-in-law used to feed the black bears from his hand in Yellowstone years ago (not smart! but at the time lots of people did it).

The shots you got were great of that Great Blue Heron, especially the first one. What is in the heron's bill in the second photo? It could be a fish but I just can't tell...