green herons

green herons are among my favorite birds to photograph... they show up for a couple of months every summer at the park near my house, and with patience, i can often get pretty close to them... 40D with 100-400L, various focal lengths and settings...

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...G_8752smps.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...G_8619smps.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...MG_8544asm.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...IMG_8539sm.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...IMG_8498sm.jpg

Really sharp shot. Nice work! :)

very nice indeed! (poor fish :(). Do they have short legs? I am used to Herons with long legs.

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Originally Posted by Bambi

very nice indeed! (poor fish :(). Do they have short legs? I am used to Herons with long legs.

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yeah, they're much smaller than the great blue herons most people see. these little guys are only slightly larger than a crow, but a bit fatter. their legs are probably about 6-8" long, but they can stretch their necks out equal to their body length when striking.

Very cool looking bird and nice shots of him!

Nice sharpness overall!

Beautifully sharp photos...very nice! :highfive:
They look like interesting birds...I have never seen one and am originally from the Pacific NW too...Victoria. Are there many of them out there?

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Originally Posted by casil403

Beautifully sharp photos...very nice! :highfive:
They look like interesting birds...I have never seen one and am originally from the Pacific NW too...Victoria. Are there many of them out there?

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thanks! couldn't say if there are any in Victoria, but they seem easy enough to spot here in the summer. then again, i've been watching them for several years, and know where to find them... most people never see them because of their coloring, and the habitat they prefer.

Nice sharp shots indeed ... and a man who uses flash to get them better exposed like I do :)

I've seen shots of these birds before ... amazing how that neck extends when they go for a fish!!

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Originally Posted by Mad Aussie

Nice sharp shots indeed ... and a man who uses flash to get them better exposed like I do :)

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Okay on that point I have a question....doesn't the flash scare them off? I would think it does so you wouldn't want to use it! :confused:
I tried using flash on shots of my mother's horse but it freaked him out.

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Originally Posted by casil403

Okay on that point I have a question....doesn't the flash scare them off? I would think it does so you wouldn't want to use it! :confused:
I tried using flash on shots of my mother's horse but it freaked him out.

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not usually. most times they're so intent on what they're doing that the flash doesn't faze them. the first shot was taken using a fill flash from about 15 feet away, and the bird didn't even break stride. the ones with the fish were shot without flash, but i was even closer, and even with my camera clicking away, the bird didn't seem to care. i shot him for about 20 minutes before he leisurely moved off into the reeds where i couldn't get clear shots anymore.

Almost every shot I take of birds is with a flash Casil ... and I've only freaked a bird out about twice with a flash.

Snakes don't like it though as they see in a heat haze rather than as we do so the flash looks like a huge hot thing racing at them. I still use it for snakes though ... if they move a bit then I get a different shot :)

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Originally Posted by Mad Aussie

Almost every shot I take of birds is with a flash Casil ... and I've only freaked a bird out about twice with a flash. :)

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i only use a fill flash when the lighting dictates it, but like you, i've found that most birds really don't care. noise seems to bother them a lot more than a flash of light.

Thanks guys...interesting...I would have never guessed! :)