Was in Walkabout Studios late yesterday morning when I heard the green heron (Butorides virescens) give a warning call, which sounds like a cross between a sharp bark and the sound a sneaker makes on a basketball court. Went out with the long lens, but was first distracted by the barred owlet calling somewhere in the backyard, not far away. I tried to track it, but it moved off before I ever caught a glimpse, so I then returned my attention to the green heron, which was right back on the same tree on Turtle Island.
I crept in close again, though not anywhere near as slowly as last time, partially because I was convinced it was not too concerned with my presence, partially because it was intent on something else and not paying attention to me. So I caught a great pose as it locked in on a potential meal.
Green herons are about the size of crows, so between that and its own shadow on the water, you can tell it’s only a handful of centimeters from the surface here, though how it sees anything through the duckweed is beyond me.
And then, a halfhearted stab, though it might have arrested it once begun because the fishy disappeared, but at least I got the beak open, even though there appears to be a faint amount of motion blur. Nice neck extension though, much better than crows can do.
I pushed it a bit, trying to get just a little closer, but now the heron’s attention was no longer on a meal and it eyed me suspiciously for a moment, then elected to fly off to the edge of the pond that was more shrouded in foliage. I sat down and waited a bit to see if it would come back, but nothing further happened. So, just a few frames for my efforts, while more were prevented by my being incautious. Good, but could perhaps have been better.