I can’t say for sure that they are jovial, but these Black-crowned Night Herons (Nycticorax nycticorax), seem to be enjoying themselves. A couple of the images look like they are laughing, and I haven’t even told one of my corny jokes yet. Anyway, I have been culling images since it is cold and windy around here today. There are many species of Herons besides my favorite, the Great Blue. The Black-crowned is probably my second best favorite.
Except for the image of the juvenile standing in a pool of water, the rest were all taken in Knoville, Tennessee on the Tennessee River. Ann and I were visiting a dear friend of mine there, and she and her husband took us there. There must have been nearly one hundred of the herons flying all over the place.
Black-crowned Night Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron - juvenile
Black-crowned Night Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron - juvenile
Black-crowned Night Heron
I used my Canon 7D and 500mm lens mounted on a tripod with a Wimberley II Gimbal head, for all of the shots except for the juvie 2nd from top. A litle story about that particular image.
Ann and I were driving slowly down River Drive, along the Concho River here in San Angelo. Near the Irving Street crossing there is a low-water crossing and a small dam. I spotted the juvenile, and at first I thought it was a Green Heron. Anyway, it was close enough that I could use my 100-400mm lens. I had to walk down a steep embankment of about 8 feet. The path that I took was hard-packed sandy dirt. I started to slide, right into a huge mesquite tree growing into the bank of the river. The tree stopped me from going into the river. I sure know how to make my life exciting. 🙂
But as my other photographic friends, like Mia McPherson, can attest, sometimes a guy has to get a little down and dirty.
Texas Tweeties by Bob Zeller 