Lookie Here!

In my post, Who’s Out There? from July 6, I wrote that I hadn’t yet filmed the Great Blue Heron that I see quite often as he flies from the north end of the pond when I enter that area. His massive wings flap seemingly too slowly to hold his body in the air, but his quick retreat tells me otherwise. Trying to film a moving bird against a clear sky is a challenging feat. So, I have hoped to catch the big bird on land. The trouble has been that I’ve always scared him up before I ever saw him.

During my trip to Kruger National Park in South Africa, I learned that it’s not always easy to see an elephant. While they are huge, they are not necessarily obvious! The Great Blue Heron that comes to dine at our pond is splendidly camouflaged against the backdrop. A few times, when were were sitting at the pond’s edge for a couple of hours, he flew in and landed in his fishing spot. Fishing must have been pretty dismal for us. We had been so still that we became part of the scenery and the big heron wasan’t threatened by our presence. But, mostly, I have seen him as he is flying away.

Yesterday, I entered the pond meadow from the southeast and scared up the heron from the north end of the pond, again! I thought I might be able to capture a photo of him in flight. As he passed my position I snapped. Still, I was fairly certain the pictures would be useless. Then, rather than fly away – away from our property like he always did – he circled back and landed behind me at the south end of the pond. His gray-blue statue of a form stood out against the green backdrop of aquatic weeds and the grasses beyond.

Here’s where I need to explain some special circumstances that many people might not consider. I can’t get out of the golf cart. It’s too high for my failing knees. To get in-and-out, I drive it next to my patio deck which is about eighteen inches above the ground. The bird that I ached to film was behind me, over my left shoulder.

I also couldn’t just hit the gas pedal and pull a U-turn. Why? Because it is actually a GAS pedal. I drive a gasoline powered golf cart, not a standard electric model. It has enough power to get through the sort of terrain I negotiate around the property. It has large wheels and quite a bit of get-up-and-go. And, in exchange for those attributes, it’s loud. That’s the only drawback, really. I knew that the Great Blue Heron would take off the moment I made any movement, and adding the noise of the engine would foil my attempt to photograph him, completely.

The photos posted here were taken over my shoulder. I was able to slide on the bench seat enough to twist and face the bird that was about 300 feet away. The sun was shining on the LCD screen and I could hardly see what I was aiming at. At first the heron was facing directly at me. That bird has a very narrow front perspective. Yet, with time he walked a bit and provide a profile which was far easier for me to spot. I know that real photographers could evaluate everything I have written and offer their professional work-arounds for such a situation. And, one day, just like I will be better able to identify all the birds on our property I will be a better photographer, too!

I realize that my relatives in Florida are probably chucking about this whole presentation. After all, anyone can film a whole myriad of herons, including the Great Blue at the dock where fishermen clean their catch, or even at an outdoor patio of their favorite local eatery. But, my heron isn’t one of those birds – at least not during the months he fishes in our pond!

I’m sharing my experience because, well, this is a really spectacular bird and I have a blog and it’s worth sharing his magnificence. But, also because I was proud to have been able to pull it off and get some decent shots of a bird (and perhaps his relatives.) He has been our cherished guest for twenty years, and yet he typically only his calling card – never shakes our hand when he leaves! I feel like he gave me a bit more of himself – first by choosing to turn back and stick around, even in my presence. And, second by offering me his profile for sufficient time that I was able to capture his beauty.