Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

This photo has won First Prize in the 2009 Photography Contest at Fort Yargo State Park that was sponsored by the Friends of Fort Yargo and The Barrow County News.

This was another of my ‘row and drift’ photos taken on a November morning. The heron was warming itself high above the ground on the trunk of a tree that had fallen but hung up against another tree trunk (at the north end of Segment 12). I had seen this bird in this spot previously and noticed it again in time to glide to a stop opposite it and on the opposite side of this narrow neck on the lake. The wind was blowing gently from the east. I drifted across the lake for about 15 minutes, taking photos repeatedly until the heron decided I was too close and flew off. This was one photo in this series.
Click on the image to view a larger image

Related posts:
- Marburg Creek Reservoir: Fort Yargo State Park
- Loose with a Camera…