Sunday, October 28, 2012

Warp Speed!


Great Blue Heron with the Catalina mountains in the background
I know people raise their eyebrows when I say that there are Herons in the desert but as you will see, we have many of them.  And for the first time, I've figured out some photography tricks with these beautiful birds.
Two Black Crowned Night Herons flying near a California Palm.
In these shots, you will see two Black Crowned Night Herons and a Great Blue Heron in flight.  The secret??  Before humans contaminate these watering holes with their loud voices and trash, you'll find these elusive creatures at the banks or shores around the manmade lakes.  But you have to go very early before they fly off to remote areas.  I'm also learning where those are as well:)
In fact, these birds took off because several people disturbed the area.  But for the first time I was able to capture them up close and personal and it was very special.
 I didn't want to crop too close up to the bird because the mountain views are breathtaking and demonstrate how large they truly are!
It pays to get up early.  Yes at times it's terrible and I'd like to sleep in but to be honest I know I'm missing a whole lot of action out in the field. And so it's a competition to beat the sun coming up and you have to move warp speed or you'll miss out.  A little coffee, a friend like Kathie, and walk.  It's a great way to start your day:)  More tomorrow as Kathie and I explore the Dark Side of birding....

21 comments:

  1. Wonderful scenery and great flight shots :) Lovely to see how much enjoyment you are getting from birding and how your knowledge is extending all the time :)

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  2. Beautiful shots of the herons with the mountains in the background. Have fun on your next outing with Kathie! Happy Birding!

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  3. Holaaa!!!.. bellas imágenes de Ardeidas.. Enhorabuena y saludos..

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  4. It really does pay to get up early! I believe you about herons in the desert, we have Great Blues I see in the desert too plus even though it gets very cold here Great Blues are year round residents.

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  5. beautiful shots!!

    can't wait to be taken to THE DAR SIDE.... =)

    (i ALWAYS get up early...can never seem to sleep IN. if i wake past 6am, i've slept in!!)

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  6. Wow - I love that close-up photo. Beautiful birds. I was out to a reserve here and I think I saw some of those birds. Or herons of some type wading through some water.

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  7. Dobrze, że jesteś "rannym ptaszkiem", bo my widzimy nowe ptaki i śliczne ich zdjęcia. Pozdrawiam.
    Bueno, son "early bird" porque vemos nuevas aves y sus bellas imágenes. Yours.

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  8. Wonderful shots of the flight. All great Chris!

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  9. great job catching those 2 night-herons in flight! even their sharp red eye!

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  10. That's pretty amazing! I love the way you incorporate the surroundings instead of just a bird portrait. These are really special. I love Herons and Egrets. You can see them thinking on their feet.

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  11. Very interesting, I never knew the herons went to the desert. We have large populations of herons here on the coast and many stay here year round. I enjoyed my visit to your blog and I will come back.

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  12. These are excellent shots Chris. Seems like half the problem of capturing birds in flight is tracking them through the camera.

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  13. Hi Chris, Yes--it is hard to get up EARLY--but we do miss out so much when it comes to wildlife IF we don't get up early... SO---let's just keep on doing it!!!!! Who needs sleep?????? ha ha

    Cold, damp, drizzly, wet, windy --and did I say COLD here this weekend.... AND there's snow in the forecast... Crazy!!!
    Betsy

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  14. Your blog has really shown me how beautiful and diverse deserts are. :o) I love these photos! I occasionally see herons around here at the lakes in my area. It's always exciting, no matter how many times I see them.

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  15. Beautiful Photos !! Catalina mountains? as in Catalina island?? Or someplace in Southern ca.

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    1. The Catalina mountains in Southern Arizona. Catalina Island sounds nice right now. I'd love to back and visit:)

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  16. I love your first shot, it's so pure and wild, I feel like I'm about to watch a National Geographic documentary :)

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  17. They are so graceful in the air.

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  18. Nice! Absolute perfect focus of the birds in flight!

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Thanks for stopping by!