Great Blue Heron love is in the air

1 Great Blue Herons changing of the guard #1-1471

It’s breeding season for Great Blue Herons and I’ve been photographing this pair since they began building their nest late last year. The eggs are laid and it shouldn’t be long before we have hatchlings. The above photo was taken when the mates were changing places sitting on the nest, the following photos I took after the changing of the guards.

2 Great Blue Herons changing of the guard #2-1475

There was just enough of a breeze to fluff up and show off the breeding feathers.

3 Great Blue Herons changing of the guard at the nest #3-1476-2

Time to stretch those wings, now keep a keen eye on the nest dear, I’ll be back soon.

4 Great Blue Heron in nest breeding feathers #4-1528-3Everything appears to be in order.

5 Great Blue Heron in nest preening breeding feathers #5-1515

Good time to get gussied up.

Do You See What I See…

© PC PHOTO 2015 All rights reserved

31 thoughts on “Great Blue Heron love is in the air”

  1. Tammy

    What a wonderful story board…now I want breeding blue herons lol They only stay here during the summer months…every once in a while we get a stray winter heron, but only have seen that once or twice. Love the processing on all of these…belongs in a book!

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    1. PC PHOTO Post author

      Thank you Tammy!! When we lived up north we never got to see this either, occasionally one would stop by the pond to grab a meal. Shot raw, Nikon 80-400 on tripod and minor tweaks in Lr, using histogram in camera has made a big difference in the quality of my images too.

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  6. rapata48

    Those are wonderful images. You must have a super powerful tele lens to get such close ups. We have a Blue heron nesting site close to where we live but I think by the time we return in April they will already have fledged.

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    1. PC PHOTO Post author

      Thanks for your kind words, it’s a pleasure for me to watch them and learn their behaviors and I’m happy to share what I’m seeing 🙂

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  10. Madelaine

    Awesome shots Patty! You’re so fortunate to be able to capture images of these majestic birds up-close! Thank you for the warm welcome back! Looking forward to seeing more of your fabulous photos. 🙂

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  14. bfcphotos

    Oh my! When I was growing up in NYC, I never dreamed I’d see an actual great blue heron. Now we see them nearly every time we kayak–but I am still in awe. To see what you have shown–and to capture it so clearly–just amazing!

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