A rare species for Illinois, this Yellow-crowned Night Heron showed up in my hometown a week or so ago. What luck! A friend discovered this guy and put out the word... Seeking him out, I was pleased to find him quickly and in decent light.
Various angles, interesting lighting and a catch of the day sealed the deal!
He was also pretty tolerant, letting me approach to about 50 feet. I try never to push him to stress, so I observed his movement and behavior. As long as he fished, I knew he was comfortable. If he watched me for too long, I backed off immediately so that he could continue his natural behavior. He caught a crayfish and I was rewarded for my good wildlife photography etiquette!
Absolutely fabulous shots! I have never seen one of these. Lucky you!!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on capturing this species. I have not seen--let alone photographed it.
ReplyDeleteAs usual you did a superb job of documenting this encounter.
They're all very good, but your first shot is amazing! Beautiful crystal clear bird and beautiful bokeh!
ReplyDeleteSumptuous bird and the two last shots are marvelous! Well done!
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