There were two herons at Falmer pond when I arrived this morning. It took me a little while to spot the second one though.
The one at the top of the tree is a juvenile, but clearly a youngster with a good head for heights. That's the only shot with the pair of them, but to their credit they did provide some rather easier shots.
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.
11 Comments
Nice ones, Words. I especially like the first one.
It always seems so absurd to see a heron perched that high above the ground.
Getting through the branches and leaves at lower heights is difficult for such big birds … once on a limb, they're fine, but getting there is not half the fun. And, being a juvenile, it might not be quite so expert at flying.
But they like heights, or so I've observed, and I think it's because the higher one gets, the bigger the circle of non-reflecting water gets. They can see more potential food below the surface.
Which one you couldn't spot? The one on top of a tree or another? 😀
Darko, the one at the top of the tree. I simply didn't look that high.
dW, thanks! I'd seen two of them fly in, but it took an age to see where the second one had got to.
Adele, they really don't look as though they're designed for perching, but they do fine (unlike the cormorant I saw a while ago which managed to break the branch it was perched on).
dW, interesting comment about the potential for spotting food from a greater height.
😆
Wonderful heron pics 🙂
Sami, thanks!