I suppose some might view great blue herons as ‘common’ subjects, they have adapted well to many areas around us despite continued development.Â. One of the most famous heron rookeries in the country, in Venice, Florida, is pretty close to a busy town intersection.Â. We are fortunate to have a couple of heron rookeries here in southeast Michigan that offer good opportunities for photography.Â. Â. But after you have photographed them at the nest, in a pond, in flight, courting.. you start to look for something that will make the image unique.
Such an instance happened with this particular image that was exposed yesterday. Â. This cluster of tamarack pines has always been a great source of nesting material for both the herons and occasional egret that inhabit the rookery.Â. But it is rare that the bird lands in an area that puts them in clear view. Â. More often they are behind many layers of branches.Â. In addition, it is quite far away, requiring quite a fit of focal length to get a modest subject size.Â. (This was made with the equivalent of 1700 mm.)Â. I think it provides a great backdrop, interesting texture and a great setting for a habitat type shot.Â. In fact, like Venice shots have become so recognizeable because of the red berries, perhaps this is the only rookery with a tamarack pine forest closeby.Â. Â. So this will go into my great blue heron collection as one of my favorites.Â. Â. I am thinking it will make for a great print as well.
