![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/great-blue-heron-4293-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"great-blue-heron-4293-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nThe ‘season’ begins.<\/p>\n
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Two days ago this Great Blue Heron was standing in the snow next to the Bear River in Box Elder County. I’ve cropped this photo weirdly for two reasons – to show the end of the large log on the right edge of the frame and to show the vegetation along the river’s\u00a0 edge at bottom. The river itself is only a few inches below the bottom of the frame.<\/p>\n
After taking quite a few photos of the heron I decided to shoot a few photos vertically in order to include part of the river in the frame. But very soon after I reacquired focus on the heron ‘he’ decided to jump-fly over to the log on the right and use it as a perch. Maybe his feet were getting cold in the snow.<\/p>\n
Bad timing. While he was moving to the log with his wings out while I was shooting vertically I couldn’t keep his huge wings completely in the frame.<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/great-blue-heron-4308-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"great-blue-heron-4308-ron-dudley\\"")
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I succeeded only one time while he still had his wings out after jumping up onto the log. But because I was shooting vertically this crop also has a less than ideal composition because I didn’t have any more room on the right. I still like the photo.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here’s the full frame (uncropped) version of the image to show you what I had to work with. After switching to vertical shooting I never did get any photos that included any of the river.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Soon after landing on the log he began to walk to the west end of it. By now you’re probably noticing that there’s something hanging down from the plumes (unusually long feathers) on his lower neck. At first I considered the possibility that it was fishing gear and line but it turned out to be…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n ice.<\/p>\n In freezing temperatures icy plumes are almost inevitable when herons are standing in shallow water while fishing. When they strike out after a fish their very long plumes get wet and when the bird stands erect again those plumes freeze in the frigid air. After repeated strikes thick ice can build up.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here’s an older (and poorly processed) photo of a Great Blue Heron at Farmington Bay WMA that has a significant ice-buildup problem on its plumes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The poor bird probably had difficulty flying with that heavy chunk of ice flopping around.\u00a0Assuming our cold weather continues, herons with icy plumes will probably be the rule rather than the exception through the beginning of February.<\/p>\n For many of my readers I suspect seeing Great Blue Herons in snow and on ice, including with icy plumes, seems a little incongruous but around here it isn’t the least bit unusual.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The ‘season’ begins.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/great-blue-heron-4308-full-frame-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"great-blue-heron-4308-full-frame-ron-dudley\\"")
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