This Great Blue Heron was quite a surprise. Wondering what the warm directional light might be like down on the water, I made an early morning stop at a well known Salt Spring Island lake. There were some ducks enjoying the peaceful morning and the reflections were wonderful.

I had the camera set to quiet mode and the ducks didn’t seem concerned about my presence. After a few moments I turned around on the rickety dock and began to head back to the truck when I suddenly noticed the heron hiding near the water’s edge. I took a couple of photos and slipped past the bird without incident. Great moment, photographer’s favourite, and another for the series: “Turn Around”.

A note about the Great Blue Herons, and some pre turn-around photos below.

The Great Blue Heron is the largest wading bird in North America, and measures about 60 cm in height, 97–137 cm in length, and 2.1–2.5 kg in mass (Butler 1992). The wings are long and rounded, the bill is long, and the tail is short (Butler 1992). Great Blue Herons fly with deep, slow wingbeats and with their necks folded in an S-shape. Plumage is mostly a blue-grey colour and adults have a white crown. —source: BC Government

Click on the images below to enlarge: