ABOUT ME

I live in a camper van with a West Highland Terrier for company.
My passion is creating images but it is a work in progress.
I am always willing to share what knowledge I have and can be contacted through the comments on this post or e-mail ADRIAN
ALL IMAGES WILL ENLARGE WITH A LEFT CLICK

Wednesday 27 July 2011

A WONDERFUL BIRD (27/07/11)

This is about a Grey Heron so if you are not into tall thin birds forget it. I have seen dozens of these but never one as tolerant of the camera, the dogs and me.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA      It is just a canal width away, reasonably happy.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA       Or so I thought, it thought otherwise and away it went.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA       It only went fifty yards and settled, how I can refer to anything making that awful racket as settled is beyond me!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA       Still it was happy enough for a good scratch.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA         That’s better.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA  Not for long. Again it only flew another few yards.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA          This time it was happier hiding behind a Thistle.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA         If you are not going to leave me alone I’ll have to ignore you and find some breakfast.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA      Just promise to keep quiet this is a serious business.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA      Got one…………………………………

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA           And another.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA           That will do…………….time to wander off for a bit of peace.

It caught six fish but turned it’s back every time……still I shouldn’t grumble. I had a good hour of it’s company.

I’m sorry about the overkill. I know you proper orthodontists take hundreds of images, I also realize you have the wit not to post them all at once.

These were all shot from a tripod. They are not cropped so will stand a click.

That’s me! Up to Date!

15 comments:

  1. A brilliant series Adrian. all I usually get is departing tail feathers.

    ReplyDelete
  2. John, I suspect it was a young one. I had my fair share of rapid departures. I have about fifty usable images. None with a salmon in it's beak. I suspect it is feeding on tiny Perch.

    ReplyDelete
  3. A wonderful post Adrian... to see a Heron feeding is a privilege and takes patience.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Grey Heron has a lookout for grass snakes, and the field seems quite nice to them. Brilliant photos.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great set of pictures Adrian. I've seen 'tame' herons alongside urban canals (e.g. in Amsterdam and London) but never in rural surroundings. Our local birds are very wary...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nice photographs Adrian. Generally they are off like a shot but I have experienced a few tame ones that let you get quite close.

    ReplyDelete
  7. In Stoke on Trent about 10 years ago I watched a Heron on a park lake island take a rat, walk into the lake and drown it and then swallow it. I can't recall if I took photos (surely I must have done but it was just pre-digital and I was on business) but I must make a note to see.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Awesome images of the Heron. I've seen them near creeks and rivers here, but never close up like yours.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Gotta love herons.. and your wonderful images of them. Beautifully done, Adrian.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I like tall skinny birds. Never get tired of looking at a good heron shot.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Andrew, I thought it was away. I was lucky.

    Bob, thanks, I've yet to see a snake this year or any reptiles.

    Phil, I was very but pleasantly surprised at it's tolerance.

    Trevor, they are usually away before I see them. I suspect the young ones are less wary.

    Graham, there is not much they won't eat, amazing what they are capable of swallowing. Have a look for the rat images when you have time.

    Horst, they usually let me within a hundred yards this one was content at a third that distance.

    Hilary, I can watch them for ages. They stand abbout doing nothing for ages but remind me of Uriah Heap when they move.

    Jolynne, Herons, Penguins. Tall and skinny, short and fat.......I love them all.

    ReplyDelete
  12. A great series Adrian. Certainly a young one by the looks of it. They are fascinating birds to watch, especially when they're tolerant of our presence.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Brilliant collection Adrian, ...first picture is AMAZING!

    Have a lovely day!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Great set, don't ever feel you have given this the overkill a it is so rare to watch them for longer than 10 seconds ... as they don't like me either. It's funny how it thinks that the thistle bush is protection.
    I was on an activity weekend last month and whilst riding around a large lake on a bike, I spotted a Heron on a grass bank next to a stream in someones very large grass garden. It was a while since I had been on a bike and nearly fell off when I tried to stop quickly as I passed it. I returned the 30 yards or so to see if I could photograph it and thankfully it was still there. As I was getting the camera out of the bag, it still hadn't flown off but then I realised that I had been "had" when I noticed the join between it's head and neck !!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Keith, thanks, A good bird.

    Claudia, thank you.......

    Jay, a once in a lifetime hour. Don't feel too bad about your heron.........I spent ten minutes trying to get a shot of a carrier bag......it looked like an owl to me.

    ReplyDelete