Photos

Just behind my house is small pond, teeming with small creatures — fish, frogs and small mammals. At the top of the food chain of creatures calling the pond “home” is this blue heron that appears daily for lunch. I was sitting out on the deck one weekend when I spotted the bird standing motionless at the shore, ready to poke its tapered beak into the water to collect its meal. I had just enough time to retrieve my camera, and take a few shots, as it took flight. In the reflection in the water one can make out its long neck. The bird belongs to the family ‘Ardeidae.’

I shot the image using a Nikon-D70 with a 70-210 lens. A little increase in contrast and minimal cropping were required. I could have cropped the photographed much closer, but the little suggestion of blue in the water (on the top right) was just sufficient to give me pause.