Blue on Blue ~ The many looks of one Great Blue Heron!
Growing up my favorite color was blue. One of my favorite birds to photograph and paint is the Great Blue Heron. Seeing this big, beautiful Blue up in a tall pine tree against the dark blue sky stopped me in my tracks. I spent over an hour photographing him as he sunned himself standing mostly on one leg. Birds have just suffered through a cold spell here in the Charleston area, so the smart ones were finding a sunny spot to warm up.
With subtle turns of the head or a twist of the neck, herons can dramatically alter their appearance. In this blog I thought people might find it interesting to see some of the different looks this one heron had in a relatively short period of time.
With their excellent hearing and eyesight they detect and react to people passing by, planes flying overhead, fish spotted in the water, noise in the woods, or birds flying overhead. All of these distractions took place in this photoshoot, causing some of the poses and expressions. Other poses came from resting, preening and enjoying the scenery.
Here are a few of the pics I took of this handsome heron.
After being fairly sedentary standing on one leg and resting, the Great Blue Heron’s head feathers flared upward against the blue sky, his other leg came out of hiding and raised like the Karate Kid taking a defensive stance. The long toes are all gnarled looking resembling a large claw. Many times the raising of the leg like this is to end up scratching the birds feathers around the head and eyes. They have a protective lens that covers the eye when the nails get too close for comfort.
I call this shot The Happy Blue. Most of the time herons have their beaks closed but occasionally they will open wide giving the appearance that they are happy, or talking, or yawning. I understand that it is a way for them to cool off.
This particular pose I find dramatic. One could read various emotions into it. Is the bird sad? Is it just looking downward? Or is it preening? It is actually inspecting its chest feathers and thinking about preening.
Here is the model’s closeup windblown head shot as the heron gazes off into the distance. They are always on the lookout for other birds. They are territorial and seem to be aware of all that is going on in their kingdom.
This pose is saying, I am aware. I know you are there. I wouldn’t push your luck. :)
The full frontal is a humorous look at a Great Blue Heron. Compared to their very large body, from straight on they look rather pinheaded! With antennas! :)
Here the Blue is preening its feathers. It is a vital ritual that birds go through to keep their feathers clean and adjust their plumage. It is always a striking pose when they lift their wing and get busy preening.
Lastly, this Great Blue Heron said enough is enough and started flapping his sharp tongue at me! I couldn’t tell what he said but it wasn’t funny! :)
I love it when I come across a bird that isn’t skittish and is comfortable with me being fairly close by. This heron was so cooperative I thought I’d give him some ink and special attention. I might even decide to paint him one of these days.
I have painted a number of Great Blue Herons in a variety of poses, which can be seen on our website.
Thank you for reading my journal and for your interest in my art and photography. I am currently working on a painting of a beautiful stretch of Church Street in downtown Charleston (with a blue sky). Please check back soon to see it once it is off the easel
“One of the joys of being an artist is having the freedom to follow my passion….”
What’s next?
Drawing by William R. Beebe