I noted in the post, David’s Bike Ride, that I spent two hours trying to capture an image of this bird in flight. After 400+ photos, fatigue began to set in so I prepared to leave.
Herons are much more patient than we humans.
Just then, the bird started to stretch its wings. Would this be an opportunity to catch it in flight?
My bike was parked safely off the bike path, but an adventurous kid decided to go off-road and do an Evel Knievel on my bicycle. He didn’t apologize nor did his father, and they both rode from the scene leaving my front wheel twisted and mangled.
The sound of the collision distracted me and startled the bird which took flight. I quickly turned, pointed the camera and clicked the shutter. There was no time to frame the shot or check the settings.
Of course, I was frazzled, frenzied and a bit teed off because of my mangled bike, but I gritted my teeth, held my breath and kept snapping. This was one large bird. I expect the wingspan was at least 6.5 feet (about 2 meters). Click photos for expanded view.
In Pics and Words 
Wonderful.
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Thank you, Cindy.
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Luck is always good to carry with you.
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… and a good lens!
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You’re so privileged 👋
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It’s a real treat to see such a magnificent bird.
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Love the feathers. They are huge birds.
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This was largest Great Blue Heron I have seen.
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Nice captures. The first shot is my favorite.
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Egrets and herons can stand still for a long time so I waited two hours to capture something more than the standard pose. It’s sort of ironic, but if that kid hadn’t crashed into my bike, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to catch the bird in flight. A similar thing happened the other day when I was trying to capture an egret in flight. I waited … and waited … then two little kids started chasing the bird which took flight and I was able to get the shot.
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Great shots, David. 🙂
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Thank you, H.J. The Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS II is doing a great job. I never used it because the 600mm Panasonic was always in my bag. I read a comment on a Canon forum where the reviewer wrote that the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II taught him one thing — that the 55-250mm is a great lens … and it costs $1700 less while providing 400mm on a crop sensor camera.
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Just as Great Blue Herons are with catching a fish, your patience paid off with these wonderful flight shots!
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I was actually riding over to the first Osprey nest when I spotted this bird. It’s sort of like being in the right place at the right time.
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👍
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You certainly got your shots and thanks for sharing them on Bird Weekly this week. I’m sorry to hear about your bike but karma might get that Evil Knievel kid one day! 😉
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Instead of getting mad, I try to remember that I was once a kid. Maybe his dad spoke to him later.
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Boys will be boys. 😊
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Great captures, especially in your frenzy. I especially like the blue/purple reflection on the water. Too bad about your bike though. Don’t expect that kid to take responsibility for anything in his life.
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The paved bike path is 10 feet wide, and I was parked on the dirt. There was no traffic on the bike path so no reason for the kid to go off road — not to mention there was no room on the dirt to pass my bike. I don’t know what he was thinking, but his poor judgement did give me the opportunity to capture the images in flight.
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