Bird Watching: My Birds, 1 by Methodical

Methodical wrote:
Here are my birds. Interesting I say my birds when I don’t own them but I feel sort of obligated to protect and care for them as I can. In fact, they probably own me more than I do them – they allow me to photograph them (i.e. they control whether or not a I can photograph them; they pretty much control the situation). I plan to showcase the birds that have allowed me to photograph them.

Lately I’ve been hanging around Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria Va. My initial plan was to visit just the one weekend but the park has been very active – Ospreys, Herons, Egrets, Swallows, snappers, frogs, snakes, beavers etc. - that I’ve gone there for the past 3 weekends. The Green Heron and Swallows have been particularly cooperative in allowing me and other photographers to capture them going about their everyday business, without fear. So I will start the set with the Green Heron.

Green Heron - A small, stocky wading bird, the Green Heron is common in wet spots across much of North America. It can be difficult to see as it stands motionless waiting for small fish to approach within striking range, but it frequently announces its presence by its loud squawking. It commonly drops bait onto the surface of the water and grabs the small fish that are attracted. It uses a variety of baits and lures, including crusts of bread, insects, earthworms, twigs, or feathers.

The first photo I call Reflections.








This message was edited Jul 10, 2010 12:03 AM