![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/great-blue-heron-8341-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"great-blue-heron-8341-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nThis bird was sporting its own icy “charm” in flight.<\/p>\n
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1\/4000, f\/7.1, ISO 320, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n This series was taken in warm morning light six days ago at Bear River MBR. The bird was flying loosely with several other herons over one of the canals and I managed to get about a half dozen shots of “him” with the snow covered Promontory Mountains in the lower background.<\/p>\n While herons are fishing in the near-freezing water and even colder air (it had been 10\u00b0 F. not long before I took these shots) they often collect ice on their pectoral plumes and this bird had a gob of it hanging down from his upper belly. For some reason it reminds me of an icy charm hanging from a charm bracelet. It can be seen best in this shot because of the dark shadow on the wing behind it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/5000, f\/7.1, ISO 320, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n In the next shot in the burst I almost clipped the tip of his left wing while it was in a vertical position. I didn’t expect this flight posture because this species doesn’t often raise its wings this high in flight. I’m not particularly fond of this composition but it was my best option considering the room I had in the frame and my hesitancy to add canvas to the image.<\/p>\n The flip side of the less than ideal composition is the raised wing position that allows us to see tremendous feather detail on the wing’s ventral surface. The wing is sharp and it seems as if each primary, secondary, axillary and underwing covert feather is well defined. The flared tail only adds to the effect. Notice that in the previous shot taken only 1\/10th of a second earlier we can barely see any of the tail.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/5000, f\/7.1, ISO 320, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Three frames later I got the last shot before the heron began to turn slightly away from me.<\/p>\n As I type this at 4:40 AM it’s looking like we might (“might” is the operative word here) have some nice morning light today for the first time since I took these photos six days ago so I hope to get out in the field. Just because we have light doesn’t mean I’ll find any cooperative birds…<\/p>\n but it’s half the battle.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Note: I’m now about to publish this post at 5:35 AM and in the last few minutes thick fog has rolled in so I may be stuck at home after all. The curses of bird photography are myriad. And aggravating as hell!<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This bird was sporting its own icy “charm” in flight.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/great-blue-heron-8342-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"great-blue-heron-8342-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/great-blue-heron-8345-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"great-blue-heron-8345-ron-dudley\\"")
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