Pied Heron (Ardea picata) – Melbourne Zoo
Sometimes, I wish we could Talk to the Animals (or in this case……..Talk to the Birds).
For the first time, a Pied Heron was very close to where I was standing on the visitor walkway in the Great Aviary at Melbourne Zoo (earlier this last week) – well, about 12 feet away from the wooden walkway is what I call close (in this amazing cavernous space).
Great photo opportunity I thought when I saw it (I was looking upwards, not down, at the time so nearly missed it). Especially as it was at the lower end of The Great Aviary where the walkway slopes down to only about 3-4 feet off the ground and one is able to get photos more from the side (as opposed to the top end of the Aviary where you are standing about 20 feet off the ground and you look down).
All of a sudden it ruffled its feathers, as though to shake off excess water and I saw the movement out of the corner of my eye, turned my camera on and took a quick shot.
It was so sudden and so fleeting, that I wished I could have said “Can you please do that again – I want a retake so I can walk to the left a few feet and change my camera settings.”
I guess all photographers experience these fleeting opportunities when they wished they were standing in a different place or had a different camera setting.
The Photo below shows the Pied Heron in its usual ground area of the Aviary – surrounded by foliage which usually makes a very ‘busy’ composition. I have taken photos from the side when it is standing on a branch halfway up a large tree also. Either way, my 18-200mm telephoto lens can only reach so far.
That’s a “Birds’ eye view for sure!!!
Fantastic split second shot.
While I believe I could have made a better image if I’d had time to think about the settings, I was pleased with the result in that split second Carolyn. Even the ‘sports’ setting would have made a better choice if I’d had time to think & quickly change the setting dial.
I’ve never seen one in person! Way up north (if you’re down under, am I up over?) and east we have Great Blue Herons, Little Blues and Green Herons. This guy looks a lot like the shape of a green heron in the second photo, but more like the Great Blue in the first. But you bird is much more colorful.
This Pied Heron is really a lovely shade of blue. There ia also another heron species in our Melbourne Zoo Aviary, called the Striated Heron, but more of a greyish blue.
We have a gorgeous salmon-pink bodied Heron with a grey cap and 2 single white feathers sprouting from the back of it’s neck called the Nankeen Night Heron – very pretty indeed. I’ve take more photos of this pinkish heron than I’d like to admit to, but it sure is unusual in colouring.
I’ll have to do a google search on ‘green’ heron as I’ve never seen or heard of it before.
The Green Heron is a little guy, and he’s not all that green. I suppose in certain light he’s kinda blueish green.
http://tinyurl.com/cutegreenheron
You’re right about the bluish-green.
Thanks for the link to a photo of that green heron – perhaps I’d call its colour more ‘aqua’ than green.
Wish I could get to areas of seeing the herons in the wild, but the Zoo & nearby Botanic Gardens will have to do for the time being.
What a gorgeous bird – we have great blues here, but it’s rare to get that close.
I think ALL the heron family are lovely. They have such an elegant stance. I like seeing their great wings in flight too. I doubt if I will get that close ever again, Lorri. It was one of the ‘once-off’ occasions I think.
I see herons out kayaking all the time – their flight is just so elegant, but they do keep their distance.
Really love the colour!
I find the colour different on my Mac laptop screen (as opposed to my Dell screen). it’s much brighter on my Mac laptop. In reality, the shade of blue of the bird varies from day to day depending on the sun, shade, overcast sky etc.