Shhh... a Great Blue Heron! I captured this image while taking a walk at Pennypack Park in Philadelphia. A pleasant surprise indeed. I know - the focus is a little off. I was using a...

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

I captured this image while taking a walk at Pennypack Park in Philadelphia. A pleasant surprise indeed.

I know - the focus is a little off. I was using a CPC 70-162mm manual focus lens mounted on my Nikon D40. Hopefully I will get another opportunity to photograph this beautiful, majestic bird over the summer, and get the focus right.

Great Blue Heron

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Nana Loc: Georgia

Beautiful! My sister has had one hanging around her place for the past few weeks...

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

Nana wrote:

Beautiful! My sister has had one hanging around her place for the past few weeks...

Thanks, Nana!

I've seen them a few times last year around here, but this is the first clear view I've had of one while having a telephoto lens on my camera.

photophile Loc: Lakewood, Ohio, USA

rook2c4 wrote:

I captured this image while taking a walk at Pennypack Park in Philadelphia. A pleasant surprise indeed.

I know - the focus is a little off. I was using a CPC 70-162mm manual focus lens mounted on my Nikon D40. Hopefully I will get another opportunity to photograph this beautiful, majestic bird over the summer, and get the focus right.

I love to watch these birds fly.

photophile Loc: Lakewood, Ohio, USA

rook2c4 wrote:

I captured this image while taking a walk at Pennypack Park in Philadelphia. A pleasant surprise indeed.

I know - the focus is a little off. I was using a CPC 70-162mm manual focus lens mounted on my Nikon D40. Hopefully I will get another opportunity to photograph this beautiful, majestic bird over the summer, and get the focus right.

I love to watch these birds fly.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

Nice photo. Good to see the surroundings and not always just the bird. I like it.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

A pretty setting for a majestic bird. Neat you were able to see and photo!

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

photophile wrote:

I love to watch these birds fly.

I do too, especially when they fly along the creek, just a few feet above the water surface!

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

ebrunner wrote:

Nice photo. Good to see the surroundings and not always just the bird. I like it.

With wildlife photography, I usually like to see some of the surrounds as well. I know the common approach is to zoom in and then crop tight on the subject in post processing. But that's not how I remember the experience. What I remember is glancing through an opening in the thicket and seeing the heron at a distance, perched on a limb. And that's exactly what I want the final image to convey. Capturing the moment of an exciting discovery. I certainly didn't want the image to appear like a typical animal portrait at the zoo!

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

Linda From Maine wrote:

A pretty setting for a majestic bird. Neat you were able to see and photo!

Actually my brother, who was visiting me over the weekend, was the one who discovered the bird and suggested that I should photograph it! I agree, the setting is very befitting for the bird.

merrytexan Loc: georgia

[quote=rook2c4]I captured this image while taking a walk at Pennypack Park in Philadelphia. A pleasant surprise indeed.

I know - the focus is a little off. I was using a CPC 70-162mm manual focus lens mounted on my Nikon D40. Hopefully I will get another opportunity to photograph this beautiful, majestic bird over the summer, and get the focus right.[/quote

great shot!

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

merrytexan wrote:

great shot!

Thanks very much!

fes22 Loc: Upper Gwynedd, PA

Very nice shot. I walked that park for many years, and almost always saw a "Blue". I moved away several years ago, and miss the park, and the birds. Keep an eye out for a Kingfisher zipping up the creek.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

fes22 wrote:

Very nice shot. I walked that park for many years, and almost always saw a "Blue". I moved away several years ago, and miss the park, and the birds. Keep an eye out for a Kingfisher zipping up the creek.

Thank you, fes22. As the park is walking distance from my house, lately it has become a favorite retreat from the noisy city for me. I certainly will keep an eye out for a Kingfisher!