The Great Blue Heron is always a favorite of photographers. It’s large, stately, graceful and stands still a lot. To a photographer this means that you don’t need an expensive super long telephoto lens or a particularly fast one. When you consider that it’s range covers most of Canada and all ot the US, Central and Northern South America it is undoubtedly one of the most photographed birds in the world. I generally get most of my shots at my local Ponce De Leon Park in Punta Gorda.

As you can see in the picture on the right, Herons keep their necks tucked in in flight. Egrets do the same while other long necked birds like Cranes, Storks, Ibis and Spoonbills fly with their necks extended.

Another favorite location is the Venice Rookery. At the rookery you can be pretty close to active nesting and mating activity. The nests are generally on a small island in the middle of a pond. Security is provided by alligators so, the birds feel pretty safe there. Of course, a few chicks get lost each year but, the area is very secure from other predators.