I went kayaking today and in a secluded area off the main lake I spotted two egrets and this green heron. The egrets flew off immediately but this heron stayed around long enough for me to get my camera out and take several shots. This was my first "bird spotting" experience while kayaking so I was quite excited and since the water was calm in this secluded area I wasn't nervous at all about getting the camera out for photos.
I spent quite a while researching online and hopefully I am correct in identifying this bird as a Green Heron. I wondered about the colors initially but it did match the online photos and I also found a short (27 sec.) YouTube video of a green heron in East Texas and as it walks in the water you can see the same back, crown, and neck coloring as in this photo. Here's the link to the short video:
Thank you all so much for your comments and favs on yesterday's Bee on Firewheel photo and also Wet Grass Bokeh. I truly appreciate each and every comment and fav! Little by little I'm catching up with my commenting for the days I missed . . . my goal is to be totally caught up tonight before I retire for the evening.
Well spotted. A wonderful shot. I posted a Black-crowned Night Heron yesterday (but on the April 30th page). I think Herons are such interesting and photogenic birds, though the Green Herons don't seem to make them available quite as much as the others.
Very sharp image, especially considering you took this from your kayak! Nicely done. I do remember seeing a green heron at Brazos Bend State Park a few years back. On first glance, I stupidly thought yours had a dark stripe on his back, but then realised it was a shadow!
Well spotted, what a gorgeous bird. I love his yellow eye. A nature photographer friend of ours once said, get the focus on the eye and the rest just falls into place. You have nailed it with this shot.
@jamibann I've never been to the Brazos Bend State Park but I checked out the website and it certainly has a lot to offer. I'll definitely keep it in mind for future excursions. :-)
j
Great shot!