Night Flight of the Night Heron
To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work. —Mary Oliver
Always a welcoming sight in our wetlands, the Black-crowned Night Heron appears at dusk, ready for a night of marauding. I encountered this juvenile taking flight from deep within the wetland’s waters — I barely saw him, just his movement, since his camouflage was so perfect against the wetland’s vegetation in the setting sun. There’s so much that can be missed, if you’re not looking….
Perfect camouflage in the Florida Wetlands
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FeyGirl
Serenity Spell 
Nature’s nocturnal beauty. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Ah, that’s just PERFECT! Love that… Love it! 🙂
gorgeous! the night herons are so loud right now in this nesting season!
Thanks so much! Ah, we don’t have as many as you… There are plenty here, but not so many as to create that kind of cacophony. 🙂
yes, i continue to be amazed at the birdlife.. i walked in from the road last night (after dinner with friends) and lingered outside beneath the waxing moon and carl-sagan sky.. ah, so lovely! z
I find one of the interesting things about early and late day pictures of the wetland and swamps is the amount of purples in the scenes. I never seem to be so conscious of that visually as I notice the greens much more on site. I do love those muted purples, sages,and browns.
You’re so perceptive… Such an artist!! That’s why I love this shot so much. It’s technically not great — not good at all, really. But it captures the colors and feel of the falling night in the wetlands so well for me. LOVE those colors, the purples and the greens….
It’s great you’re paying attention to the night flights and behaviours. There is so much we don’t know about the night and how it affects species.
It’s amazing how much happens as the sun sets… SO much! And in our area, with all the vegetation (please preserve! Please protect!), so much can be missed. It’s an amazing time — and as another blogger / photographer mentions, one with the most wondrous colors. 🙂
Good timing and a terrific shot! We appreciate you’re out there and paying attention so we can vicariously enjoy the results!
Thanks so much! I realize it’s not the best shot, but it captures the approaching nightfall — and the colors — of our wetlands so well, I had to include. Plus, I love our night herons. 🙂
Perfect timing – such great camouflage that it’s easy to miss!
It was one of those whipping-of-the-camera-action, when I heard him…. Because I sure didn’t see him! 🙂 So wonderful.
I love Mary Oliver and you post..Michelle
Thanks so very much! I’m with you… I adore Mary Oliver.
The juvenile night herons are ones I can recognize. And my goodness – do I love them! I’ve thought of going down to our nature preserve at dusk to see what I can see – although, given the tracks I’ve seen, I may be a little cautious. Deer are fine. Bobcats? Not so much – although I’m sure they’re no more interested in running into me than I am of stumbling over them.
Omigosh you should go!! Bobcats wouldn’t bother you in the LEAST…. They’re so incredibly SHY! And tiny. Honestly, they’re just a wee bit larger than housecats. 🙂
Here’s an adult Night heron (2 posts); I’ve written on them a few times:
How interesting. I didn’t even know there was a Night Heron. Stunning shot.
Thanks so much!
Ah yes… I adore our Night herons. 🙂 I’ve written about them a few times — the juvies look a bit different than the adults, but both are lovely!
That’s a great picture! What hardware and settings did you use to capture your heron?
Thanks so much! I use a Canon 7D, and the ISO was pumped WAY up — the sun was nearly completely gone, and I refuse to use a flash out there… I don’t want to disturb the animals, this is their home. Besides that? Whipping the camera out that a frantic lunatic when I caught a glimpse of this guy’s camouflage FAR out in the wetlands. 🙂
I upgraded to a Canon 7D last year and I absolutely love it! How do you get on yours?
Ah, same here! Love it! I believe I got mine in the Summer…. I do have some issues with the focus, though — it’s not as crisp as I would like (I guess that’s a common issue with the 7D). But it’s a GREAT camera for my hikes — I don’t regret a penny of its investment!!
That’s interesting, what lens are you using? I’ve got the Canon 100-400mm L series zoom and I haven’t noticed a problem with the focus yet. Is it worse in murkier conditions?
Oh la la, I don’t have that lens (although I would love to get one, one day) — but I’m referring to the camera itself. It’s not quite as sharp as I would have expected, and I’ve heard similarly from others. But s’ok — I still love it, of course!!!
And you get some great results with it, your heron is a great photograph especially as it was dark and the ISO was cranked right up.
Thanks!! I was shocked it came out, truth be told, due to the high ISO and the fact that I was literally whipping the camera around when I realized what I was seeing, far out in the wetlands. I sure wish I had YOUR lens though! Soon, perhaps, soon (I always have faith)…. 🙂
Great shot! (They all are.)
Thank you! This was one of those lucky whip-the-camera-around shots… 🙂