I have been chasing Green Herons since before I was a birder. I could never get good photos of them because they would fly off before I even saw them. The Herons from New Jersey were just too shy!
The only halfway decent photo I had of a Green Heron from 2009
During my trip to Florida earlier this year, I ended up having a few different photo ops with this species in a couple of locations.
Getting closer to the perfect Green Heron photo
I finally got the photos I’ve been wanting! Here are some of the better ones:
In the past, I had far-away looks at the Tricolored Heron during birding trips to the New Jersey Coast. I really wanted to photograph this bird and only really ever had doc shots. I knew that going to Florida could change this. I am happy to share some of these photos with you so you can see this beautiful bird up close like I finally did.
We saw a Tricolored Heron on our first day at Brinson Park. The angle for photo0taking was bad since we were up higher than the bird, but it was much better than any run-in I’ve had with this bird in the past.
Tricolored Heron at Brison Park
We did not get any more good looks of this bird until we went to Orlando Wetlands where a young bird perched behind a Night-Heron that we were enjoying.
Tricolored Heron perched
We also ran into two others who were foraging for some fish.
Tricolored Heron searching for fish
Tricolored Heron almost in breeding plumage
We encountered our first Tricolored Heron in full breeding plumage at Viera Wetlands. This bird was gorgeous! I think it is the prettiest heron species we have in North America.
Tricolored Heron in breeding plumage
Tricolored Heron behind the grass
The next beautiful adult we photographed was at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
Tricolored Heron off of Blackpoint Wildlife Drive
Tricolored Heron in calm water
The absolute best photo opportunity came the next morning at Merritt Island in the same location that we previously photographed a dancing Reddish Egret at sunrise. This Heron also had a very animated “dance” that it performed to catch its fish. I made the mistake of underexposing most of my photos, but I was able to salvage them enough to share!
That same day, we found another bird who was hanging out in a small pond with Snowy Egrets. It would skim its feet across the water and grab fish without stopping. It was quite the sight!
Tricolored Heron skimming across a pool
the very last bird that we photographed was a Tricolored Heron before we left Merritt Island. This beautiful adult ended our trip nicely with a private show.
Bitterns are difficult birds to find and photograph – especially out in the open. I’ve photographed an American Bittern at Magee Marsh a couple of years ago, but never had a good opportunity with Least Bitterns. For the most part, I would catch glimpses of them flying or parts of them through the reeds. A nice run-in with this bird at Viera Wetlands changed this. We came to a spot that had three Least Bitterns hunting out in the open. I wanted to put together a post to share these beautiful birds that we do not see often enough.
I never though I would get two Least Bitterns in the same frame – along with another secretive bird. See the Sora behind them?
It was so great to watch them stalk the fish…
..and guzzle a few down.
But most of all, I enjoyed seeing how they clung to the vertical perches and moved from reed-to-reed with no trouble.
And just in case you wanted a couple of more photos…
You never know what you will run into while out birding. I saw many wonderful examples of bird behavior throughout my trip to Florida – both expected and not. One of the more unexpected experiences took place at Viera Wetlands. As we were driving, we noticed two cars stopped at the side of the road. We slowed down in time to see a Turkey Vulture swoop down inbetween them and land on the carcass of a Coot that was at the edge of the marsh.
The Vulture attempts to claim the Coot
The bird seemed to be a bit on edge, keeping its wings stretched out above the carcass. It took the kill and moved it further away from the water.
The Vulture drags the Coot away from the water
Turkey Vulture protecting the carcass
We spotted the reasoning behind its concern nearby in the water. An Alligator was chomping on a wing of the dead Coot. Perhaps the Gator was how the Coot met its end.
Alligator eating a Coot wing
Alligator eating a Coot wing
The Vulture cautiously ate its findings.
Turkey Vulture eating a Coot
Turkey Vulture on a coot
Not long after the Alligator finished the wing, it moved up the bank, closer to the Vulture. He wanted the rest of his meal.
The Alligator moves up the bank
The Vulture, not wanting to give up the meal, continued to mantle over the carcass. The Gator’s size was not exactly very intimidating, so the Vulture held its ground.
The Vulture protects the carcass
The Vulture protects the carcass
The Alligator gets in closer
All-in-all the results were a bit uneventful since the Alligator eventually backed off, but it was still very cool to watch two completely different animals have a small face-off.
