Texan Great Blue Herons
Ardea herodias
Very similar to the Old World’s Grey Heron, the Great Blue Heron stands as tall as 54 inches and is the largest North American heron. These birds are prototypical ambush hunters; standing silently waiting for prey to come within striking range, then reaching out at lighting speed to capture its prey. Contrast this style to an active hunter such as the Snowy Egret, who uses quick movements to frighten prey into view, then chasing down its prey. I liken my preferred method of sit-and-wait photography to these birds, and I tell people “I’m more Great Blue Heron than the Snowy Egret.”
These tall waders range over most of the USA year-round. Some birds are only summer visitors in the high plains of the upper Mississippi Valley into Canada and north of the Great lakes. In Texas I encountered these great birds along the Gulf Coast, but during my travels through the western states I’ve met them in California, Wyoming and Arizona. Those who wish to review the birds from beyond Texas can visit the <Species Gallery>.
Great Blue Heron(Ardea herodias) |
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Description: This Great Blue Heron was probably digesting fish caught in the nearby water shallows. The Convention Center on South Padre Island, Texas is a first rate birding destination. I spent several hours in the morning and several more in the afternoon on this day. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:30 8:41 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/5000 |
File Name: GreatBlueHeron_D509677-South-Padre |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Great Blue Heron(Ardea herodias) |
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Description: This large bird was probably nesting a few hundred feet from this beach in the Rockport Rookery. I met these birds after my third day of exploration of Aransas NWR aboard the "Skimmer". There was still time left in the day for explorations. I found a nice place to park next to Little Bay and photograph local resident birds. |
Date Taken: 2020:03:17 17:33 |
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Location:
Little Bay |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: GreatBlueHeron_D505199-Rockport-TX |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Great Blue Heron(Ardea herodias) |
|
Description: This large bird was probably nesting a few hundred feet from this beach in the Rockport Rookery. I met these birds after my third day of exploration of Aransas NWR aboard the "Skimmer". There was still time left in the day for explorations. I found a nice place to park next to Little Bay and photograph local resident birds. |
Date Taken: 2020:03:17 17:16 |
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Location:
Little Bay |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: GreatBlueHeron_D504968-Rockport-TX |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Great Blue Heron(Ardea herodias) |
|
Description: This large bird was probably nesting a few hundred feet from this beach in the Rockport Rookery. I met these birds after my third day of exploration of Aransas NWR aboard the "Skimmer". There was still time left in the day for explorations. I found a nice place to park next to Little Bay and photograph local resident birds. |
Date Taken: 2021:10:27 4:28 |
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Camera Information: |
File Name: GreatBlueHeron_D504959-Rockport-TX-scaled |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Great Blue Heron(Ardea herodias) |
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Description: This heron caught a catfish, but didn't want to risk injury from its sharp spiney fins. My third day of exploration of Aransas NWR was a memorable one. I boarded the tour boat the "Skimmer" and got schooled by Captian Tommy Moore on a three plus hour cruise of the back-bays and waterways beyond the view of the public from the tour roads on the reserve. |
Date Taken: 2020:03:17 11:51 |
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Location:
Aransas NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: GreatBlueHeron_D504073-BoatRide-Aransas-NWR |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Great Blue Heron(Ardea herodias) |
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Description: I met this bird on the docks before our boat was ready to board. My third day of exploration of Aransas NWR was a memorable one. I boarded the tour boat the "Skimmer" and got schooled by Captian Tommy Moore on a three plus hour cruise of the back-bays and waterways beyond the view of the public from the tour roads on the reserve. |
Date Taken: 2020:03:17 8:50 |
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Location:
Fulton Harbor |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: GreatBlueHeron_D503494-BoatRide-Aransas-NWR |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Great Blue Heron(Ardea herodias) |
|
Description: I met this bird on the docks before our boat was ready to board. My third day of exploration of Aransas NWR was a memorable one. I boarded the tour boat the "Skimmer" and got schooled by Captian Tommy Moore on a three plus hour cruise of the back-bays and waterways beyond the view of the public from the tour roads on the reserve. |
Date Taken: 2020:03:17 8:50 |
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Location:
Fulton Harbor |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: GreatBlueHeron_D503462-BoatRide-Aransas-NWR |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Great Blue Heron(Ardea herodias) |
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Description: Big birds serious about nesting. My second day at Aransas NWR on Monday, was only a half day, so I drove south to Rockport where I would board a boat (the Skimmer) on Tuesday to see a whole new side of the reserve. In exploring the town I saw the ever-present Laughing gulls perched on a fenceline. After stopping I noticed I'd stumbled onto the Rockport Rookery, an 8+ acre site the city purchased from the Beasley family. |
Date Taken: 2020:03:16 16:39 |
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Location:
Fulton (Texas) |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/2500 |
File Name: GreatBlueHeron_D503130-Rockport-TX |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Great Blue Heron(Ardea herodias) |
|
Description: Big birds serious about nesting. My second day at Aransas NWR on Monday, was only a half day, so I drove south to Rockport where I would board a boat (the Skimmer) on Tuesday to see a whole new side of the reserve. In exploring the town I saw the ever-present Laughing gulls perched on a fenceline. After stopping I noticed I'd stumbled onto the Rockport Rookery, an 8+ acre site the city purchased from the Beasley family. |
Date Taken: 2020:03:16 16:28 |
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Location:
Fulton (Texas) |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: GreatBlueHeron_D503049-Rockport-TX |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Great Blue Heron(Ardea herodias) |
|
Description: Big birds serious about nesting. My second day at Aransas NWR on Monday, was only a half day, so I drove south to Rockport where I would board a boat (the Skimmer) on Tuesday to see a whole new side of the reserve. In exploring the town I saw the ever-present Laughing gulls perched on a fenceline. After stopping I noticed I'd stumbled onto the Rockport Rookery, an 8+ acre site the city purchased from the Beasley family. |
Date Taken: 2020:03:16 16:20 |
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Location:
Fulton (Texas) |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: GreatBlueHeron_D502981-Rockport-TX |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Great Blue Heron(Ardea herodias) |
|
Description: Big birds serious about nesting. My second day at Aransas NWR on Monday, was only a half day, so I drove south to Rockport where I would board a boat (the Skimmer) on Tuesday to see a whole new side of the reserve. In exploring the town I saw the ever-present Laughing gulls perched on a fenceline. After stopping I noticed I'd stumbled onto the Rockport Rookery, an 8+ acre site the city purchased from the Beasley family. |
Date Taken: 2020:03:16 16:19 |
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Location:
Fulton (Texas) |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: GreatBlueHeron_D502971-Rockport-TX |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Great Blue Heron(Ardea herodias) |
|
Description: Big birds serious about nesting. My second day at Aransas NWR on Monday, was only a half day, so I drove south to Rockport where I would board a boat (the Skimmer) on Tuesday to see a whole new side of the reserve. In exploring the town I saw the ever-present Laughing gulls perched on a fenceline. After stopping I noticed I'd stumbled onto the Rockport Rookery, an 8+ acre site the city purchased from the Beasley family. |
Date Taken: 2020:03:16 16:18 |
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Location:
Fulton (Texas) |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: GreatBlueHeron_D502956-Rockport-TX |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Great Blue Heron(Ardea herodias) |
|
Description: Big birds serious about nesting. My second day at Aransas NWR on Monday, was only a half day, so I drove south to Rockport where I would board a boat (the Skimmer) on Tuesday to see a whole new side of the reserve. In exploring the town I saw the ever-present Laughing gulls perched on a fenceline. After stopping I noticed I'd stumbled onto the Rockport Rookery, an 8+ acre site the city purchased from the Beasley family. |
Date Taken: 2020:03:16 16:10 |
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Location:
Fulton (Texas) |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: GreatBlueHeron_D502934-Rockport-TX |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Great Blue Heron(Ardea herodias) |
|
Description: Big birds serious about nesting. My second day at Aransas NWR on Monday, was only a half day, so I drove south to Rockport where I would board a boat (the Skimmer) on Tuesday to see a whole new side of the reserve. In exploring the town I saw the ever-present Laughing gulls perched on a fenceline. After stopping I noticed I'd stumbled onto the Rockport Rookery, an 8+ acre site the city purchased from the Beasley family. |
Date Taken: 2020:03:16 16:10 |
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Location:
Fulton (Texas) |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: GreatBlueHeron_D502920-Rockport-TX |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Great Blue Heron(Ardea herodias) |
|
Description: Big birds serious about nesting. My second day at Aransas NWR on Monday, was only a half day, so I drove south to Rockport where I would board a boat (the Skimmer) on Tuesday to see a whole new side of the reserve. In exploring the town I saw the ever-present Laughing gulls perched on a fenceline. After stopping I noticed I'd stumbled onto the Rockport Rookery, an 8+ acre site the city purchased from the Beasley family. |
Date Taken: 2020:03:16 15:37 |
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Location:
Fulton (Texas) |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 460 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: GreatBlueHeron_D502428-Rockport-TX |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Great Blue Heron(Ardea herodias) |
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Description: Heron landing. This is the SECOND tallest bird on the reserve. My second day at Aransas NWR on Monday, was only a half day, mostly spent at Heron Flats. The cranes that eluded me on Sunday gave themselves to me on this morning, as did some other nice birds. |
Date Taken: 2020:03:16 9:55 |
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Location:
Aransas NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 550 mm, f/7.1, 1/1250 |
File Name: GreatBlueHeron_D501991-Aransas-NWR |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
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