Great Blue Herons

Great Blue Herons are in abundance around the Chesapeake Bay area year-round. Lucky me! They are one of my favorite birds to photograph.

Here are more of my favorite shots from the past summer not previously shared.

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron in landing mode

Great Blue Heron and his reflection

Great Blue Heron thru the marsh grasses

Great Blue Heron preening

Sometimes they tell a joke and we all have a good laugh!

🙂

Tags: bird, birding, birdwatching, Chesapeake Bay, Eastern Shore, flight, great blue heron, image, images, landing, Maryland, nature, photo, photographs, photography, photos, preening, reflection, wildlife, wings

41 thoughts on “Great Blue Herons”

Suzanne et Pierre on 10/30/2018 at 3:38 PM said:

They are indeed beautiful birds and your photos are very nice. (Suzanne)

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- bayphotosbydonna on 10/31/2018 at 11:58 AM said:
  
  Thank you Suzanne!
  
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Ellen Jennings on 10/30/2018 at 3:51 PM said:

Always one of my favorites! Nice captures, Donna, of the GBH in various poses.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 10/31/2018 at 11:59 AM said:
  
  Thank you, Ellen! They sure are hard to pass up when you see one. 😉
  
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David on 10/30/2018 at 3:51 PM said:

The in flight shot with the reflection is pretty spectacular.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 10/31/2018 at 12:00 PM said:
  
  Thank you, David, I cropped to vertical but my fault for not getting the entire reflection, darn it…. Still cool though, I thought too!
  
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Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography on 10/30/2018 at 4:16 PM said:

Love em, 🙂

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- bayphotosbydonna on 10/31/2018 at 12:02 PM said:
  
  Thank you, Ted! 🙂
  
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John on 10/30/2018 at 4:25 PM said:

Beautiful photos Donna, such a tall, slender bird. 🙏🏻❤️

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- bayphotosbydonna on 10/31/2018 at 12:02 PM said:
  
  Thank you, John!
  
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blhphotoblog on 10/30/2018 at 4:38 PM said:

Great shots, just love that reflection one.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 10/31/2018 at 12:03 PM said:
  
  Thank you, Brian! I wish I had gotten the whole reflection but still neat-o! 🙂
  
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H.J. for avian101 on 10/30/2018 at 4:45 PM said:

They always look good and interesting for photos. Great shots Donna. 🙂

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- bayphotosbydonna on 10/31/2018 at 12:04 PM said:
  
  Not moving much or fast at times for hours helps us! Thank you, HJ! 🙂
  
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quietsolopursuits on 10/30/2018 at 4:54 PM said:

Excellent images of one of my favorite species of bird to photograph also. They’re magnificent, especially with their wings spread as a couple of your images show.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 10/31/2018 at 12:05 PM said:
  
  Thank you, Jerry! It’s pretty hard to pass up on one when you see a GBH. Hard!! 😉
  
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tootlepedal on 10/30/2018 at 4:59 PM said:

I really like herons so this was a treat. I liked the reflective shot a lot.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 10/31/2018 at 12:06 PM said:
  
  Thank you, Tom! Wish I hadn’t missed the whole reflection but still thought a cool shot too!
  
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Susan Hale on 10/30/2018 at 7:30 PM said:

Great shots, Donna! I especially love the one of him preening. As many photos as I have taken of gbh’s, I’m always excited to get another one. It never grows old! Thanks for sharing, and I’m glad you are ‘back in action’ behind the camera!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 10/31/2018 at 12:10 PM said:
  
  Thank you, Susan! I lean heavily on the preening shot myself as a high favorite. I bet your GBH photo library is as big as mine, busting at the seams on space! It’d take me a week or more to go through them all to pinpoint the ultimate favorites. That’s probably not even possible, now that I think about it, too many! 😉 Thanks for the welcome back too.
  
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anotherday2paradise on 10/30/2018 at 8:20 PM said:

Great captures, Donna. My favorite bird to photograph too. They have so many different guises. 😀

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- bayphotosbydonna on 10/31/2018 at 12:11 PM said:
  
  Thank you, Sylvia, they do! 🙂
  
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Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog on 10/30/2018 at 9:12 PM said:

Ah, those legs! 🙂

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- bayphotosbydonna on 10/31/2018 at 12:12 PM said:
  
  They go on for miles! 😉
  
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sp8sstudio on 10/30/2018 at 11:51 PM said:

I see them often in Alaska, they are a nice bird.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 10/31/2018 at 12:23 PM said:
  
  I did not know they were in Alaska, how cool! They are a hardy bird and definitely fun to photograph!
  
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  - sp8sstudio on 10/31/2018 at 12:34 PM said:
    
    I have also seen them on the East coast, in NY I believe. Kind of awkward on take off and landings, but for sure a fun bird to watch.
    
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aussiebirder on 10/31/2018 at 3:43 AM said:

Some magnificent shots Donna, and each one has its own individual peculiarity highlighting different aspects of the birds. Love the flight shot reflection pic. Thanks for sharing one of your favorite birds. Enjoy the rest of your week!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 10/31/2018 at 1:34 PM said:
  
  Thank you, Ashley! They are so majestic, I cannot pass up taking a photo of one. i have way too many favorites in my huge library of them. They were my Mom’s favorite bird well before I began bird photography, and she easily got me hooked on their beauty. It was so enjoyable sharing my captures with her. I hope she’s now out with me watching them each time. 🙂 I’m going to enjoy mine, heading to grandson #3 for couple days of love & laughter, I hope you’ll enjoy yours just as well!
  
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Gunta on 10/31/2018 at 4:14 PM said:

Fantastic shots of one of my favorite birds. We seem to have them year round here, but I made a discovery yesterday on my way north to one of the larger towns for shopping. It seems that they like to stand on old decaying pilings along a slough, but they hunker down so they almost look like part of the post (without the typical stretched neck pose). I can’t help but wonder how many times I might have passed them by without noticing when they were like that? I’ve also seen them flying up and down our creek at times, but I’m never fast or prepared enough to catch a shot. They seem to take a short cut over our house where there’s a bend in the creek. 😀

My favorite of the series is the fourth shot, with the water for background really highlighting this magnificent bird.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 11/02/2018 at 3:01 PM said:
  
  Thank you, Gunta! Sounds like you have a place to visit here and there for the GBHs, nice! That shot of mine you liked, I could not believe how the colors came out for that day. It almost looks like a painting to me. 🙂
  
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montucky on 10/31/2018 at 5:17 PM said:

Superb photos of the Herons!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 11/02/2018 at 3:01 PM said:
  
  Thank you very much, Terry!
  
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tanjabrittonwriter on 10/31/2018 at 9:16 PM said:

Lovely photos, Donna. I, too, cannot walk past a Great Blue Heron without trying to get a photograph. They are so elegant, yet so nonchalant at the same time.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 11/02/2018 at 3:04 PM said:
  
  Thank you, Tanja, they are an awesome temptation. 🙂
  
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Sue on 11/02/2018 at 1:25 AM said:

Awesome pics Donna, very clear and detailed shots. I like watching birds like these when they hunt for food, they look like they’re walking on stilts and they have deadly precision!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 11/02/2018 at 3:06 PM said:
  
  Thank you, Sue! And they teach us patience while we watch in wonder, I just love them!
  
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Jane's Heartsong on 11/02/2018 at 6:32 PM said:

Great images, Donna! I enjoy seeing these birds too, and think that not all dinosaurs went extinct when I spot these glorious birds.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 11/02/2018 at 7:18 PM said:
  
  Thank you, Jane! They are a top favorite of mine. 🙂
  
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Rolling Harbour on 11/04/2018 at 6:02 AM said:

Cool preening photo! RH

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- bayphotosbydonna on 11/04/2018 at 8:13 AM said:
  
  Thank you, RH! I do lean to that one being added as a big GBH favorite of mine now with all the photos I have of them. 😊
  
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