Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Great Blue Jackpot


At the end of last November I was at the lake and saw something I had never seen before and haven't seen since. The herons were noticeably absent on the main lake. In an attempt to salvage my outing, I made my way to the far corner to see if I could find some waterfowl or other birds. This corner is separated from the rest of the lake by a low causeway. To my surprise, I found in excess of 20 herons all occupying the same general area. Normally, just two herons won't tolerate each other's presence. I kept counting and recounting and kept finding birds I hadn't seen previously. It was a rather impressive sight. Unfortunately, I couldn't get them all in one photo.









45 comments:

chica said...

Maravilhosas fotos! abraço,chica

Stewart M said...

Hi there - thats a huge number of herons!

I'm "on the road" at present - so I my be off line at times.

Thanks for the WBW post.

Stewart M - Melbourne

Carole M. said...

what wonderful scenery and how great to find all those herons when you went scouting...lovely photographs as usual

Andee said...

That is bizarre. They must have been holding court.

Deb said...

A little Heron convention how cool great shots

Pamela Gordon said...

Wow they really blend in with the habitat of old stumps. It's almost as if they were hiding from a predator. I really had to look to pick them out. Great photos Brian.

Beth said...

Very nice shots!

Amy Burzese said...

So you captured an unusual sight. I love all those stumps amongst the birds.

the wild magnolia said...

jackpot indeed. photos so real i can almost smell the waters and feel the wind on my face.

...and the lovely mallards too.

good job.

Jan n Jer said...

What a find. Must be an awesome feeding place.

Adrienne said...

Wow! Such a sight - and in such a mysterious setting. There's a part of the pond where I walk that reminds me of this spot...as far as I can tell, there's only one heron that calls "my" pond home. What a treasure you found there!

From The Heart said...

What a beautiful sight!

Maude Lynn said...

These are amazing!

HansHB said...

Lovely photos! Well done!

MTWaggin said...

Jackpot indeed and so late in the season I'd have thought the same - they wouldn't tolerate each other. Know they will somewhat during breeding and raising babies but THIS indeed is incredible! I love the shots and some are almost like where's waldo! :)

TexWisGirl said...

oh my goodness! look at that! you cloned these in, didn't you?!

Leenie said...

What a party of herons! Most certainly you hit the jackpot.

TexWisGirl said...

getting 8 in one shot (as best as i can count). holy smokes!

Debbie said...

WoW....what an amazing sight!! They do blend and at times are easy to miss!

Carletta said...

Wow - what a wonderful experience to have had!
Your photos are like playing a form of 'Where's Waldo'. :)
Nice shots Brian!

TheChieftess said...

Wow...never knew that Herons were loners...great capture!!! Love the top shot!

Rick Watson said...

Those are some beautiful pictures.

Grandma Barb's This and That said...

Wow, you really did hit the jackpot! Wonderful photos of all those herons. I've never even seen one.

Andy said...

You hit the jackpot!

Judy said...

How awesome is this! Beautiful captures.

Gail Dixon said...

Holy herons! I have never seen that many GBH in one area. I've only spotted one loner at LSU Lakes. Great series!

Modesto Viegas said...

Great photos!!

Gemma Wiseman said...

This is an amazing sight to see so many herons together! Great series of photos!

i stora drag said...

That was really amazing to see so many herons! I love to study them.
Marvelous photos!
Greetings Pia

Unknown said...

Nice find!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

mick said...

Very beautiful and an interesting place with all the tree stumps.

Dina said...

The fishing must be good in that spot. That is a lotta great blues. Love the scenery!

Lindsjö taxar said...

Wow, so many herons at one time.....what a beautiful place. Hat off for a great job!

Karen said...

Jackpot indeed Brian!!! Fabulous captures! I bet you were excited when you saw them all.

Adam Tilt said...

For some reason that number of Herons in one place looks slightly sinister. Great shots.

eileeninmd said...

It is cool to see lots of herons in one spot. Great captures, Brian!

Anonymous said...

How incredible to see so many together. What a lucky find to reward your persistence!

Linda said...

I was thinking it was some sort of convention, but then, I noticed they all seemed to be ignoring each other...very interesting!

Anonymous said...

What an amazing sight! You did a nice job capturing a number of them.

Mary said...

Those are lovely and amazing.

Anonymous said...

Jackpot, indeed! Wonderful captures & must have been an incredible experience to see sooo many in one place! Congratulations =)

Arija said...

What a great colony to come upon! Must have been a good fishing ground.

Ida said...

What an amazing sight. These are such awesome shots. I love these birds. Around here you'll see one now and then but nothing like this.

Mary Howell Cromer said...

Wow Brian, what an absolutely amazing sight this had to be! Those waters must be special for them, and maybe a little quiet corner is what they all needed to get along, just as we may at times require;')

Hilke Breder said...

Fascinating!