Photo's worth sharing

[waynieZ]

Nice sieg.

[WSSix]

Thanks Scott. It's interesting what you can do with the remote flash. The silhouette looks cool

[GregWeld]

Woke up to find this dude in the yard.... Ya think he was eying the pool???

[Sieg]

That looks like a Great BIG Blue Heron!?

It is the largest North American heron and, among all extant herons, it is surpassed only by the Goliath Heron and the White-bellied Heron. It has head-to-tail length of 91–137 cm (36–54 in), a wingspan of 167–201 cm (66–79 in), a height of 115–138 cm (45–54 in), and a weight of 2.1–3.6 kg (4.6–7.9 lb).[4][5][6] Notable features include slaty flight feathers, red-brown thighs, and a paired red-brown and black stripe up the flanks; the neck is rusty-gray, with black and white streaking down the front; the head is paler, with a nearly white face, and a pair of black plumes running from just above the eye to the back of the head. The feathers on the lower neck are long and plume-like; it also has plumes on the lower back at the start of the breeding season. The bill is dull yellowish, becoming orange briefly at the start of the breeding season, and the lower legs gray, also becoming orangey at the start of the breeding season. Immature birds are duller in color, with a dull blackish-gray crown, and the flank pattern only weakly defined; they have no plumes, and the bill is dull gray-yellow.[3][7][8] Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 43–49.2 cm (17–19.4 in), the tail is 15.2–19.5 cm (6.0–7.7 in), the culmen is 12.3–15.2 cm (4.8–6.0 in) and the tarsus is 15.7–21 cm (6.2–8.3 in).[9][10]
The heron stride is around 22 cm (9 in), almost in a straight line. Two of the three front toes are generally closer together. In a track the front toes as well as the back often show the small talons.[11]
The subspecies differ only slightly in size and plumage tone, with the exception of subspecies occidentalis, which as well as normal colored birds, also has a distinct white morph, known as the Great White Heron (not to be confused with the Great Egret, for which "Great White Heron" was once a common name). It is found only in south Florida and some parts of the Caribbean. The Great White Heron differs from other Great Blues in bill morphology, head plume length, and in having a total lack of pigment in its plumage. This is mainly found near salt water, and was long thought to be a separate species. Birds intermediate between the normal morph and the white morph are known as Würdemann's Heron; these birds resemble a "normal" Great Blue with a white head.
The theory that Great White Heron may be a separate species (A. occidentalis) from Great Blue Heron has again been given some support by David Sibley.[12]
Voice[edit source | editbeta]
The call is a harsh croak. The heron is most vocal during the breeding season, but will call occasionally at any time of the year in territorial disputes or if disturbed.

[glassman]

That is a bada$$ pic of what we think is a big friggen bird!!

Rare?

WTF, sieg, you sit home and read the encyclopedia all daY? that was quite an explanation....

[bdahlg68]

Originally Posted by glassman

That is a bada$$ pic of what we think is a big friggen bird!!

Rare?

WTF, sieg, you sit home and read the encyclopedia all daY? that was quite an explanation....

Not so rare around here. Wikipedia is always only a few keystrokes away!

[Sieg]

Originally Posted by glassman

WTF, sieg, you sit home and read the encyclopedia all daY? that was quite an explanation....

Well........there are these seemingly little known websites called Google and Wikipedia that can really make a person look smart in short order.

Though the family ranch in Echo, OR has one of the larger Heron Rookeries in the state so I've done a little research prior to GW's exposure of the prehistoric beauties. They are exceptional to watch stalkers of prey around rivers, lakes, and ponds in our region.

[ErikLS2]

Saw this while making my lunch for tomorrow. Not photographic genius but kind of cool.

[Sieg]

Life is awfully good thanks to this wonderful woman!



I usually wouldn't share images of this nature out of fear of decapitation but I consider this a real trophy out of the thousands of shots I've taken in the past months.

[96z28ss]

A picture like that posted would have me in the dog house so fast.