Went out to Vancouver Island recently. Saw many Great Blue Herons, birds that are not rare but still not as abundant in my neck of the woods. The herons are common sights along the West Coast.
This is what I found when I saw them––there was always some human presence nearby. I know it’s humans that are impinging on their habitat, but still love to see the picture of coexistence, how they still thrive living side-by-side people, unlike what I’m used to at the Pond in my neck of the woods, where they are usually far away, solitary, and would fly away instantly when humans come near.
A heron silhouetted with the sailboats:
I like this sight too… a shared seashore:
I spent almost an hour with this bird at the beach that late morning. Took many photos of it, walking close to it to take some of these shots, and watched it pick out its brunch:
You can see the small fish in its beak.
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As a postscript, here are some birds I saw visiting the Butterfly Gardens in Victoria, B.C. While I saw some birds I hadn’t seen before, like the Flamingo, or the Macaws or Parakeets not as house pets, I found them ‘too easy’ to capture in photos. The place was very interesting to visit, no doubt, with butterflies flying freely everywhere and very informative and educational displays, yet, I felt like an imposter bird photographer.
Something like taking pictures of animals in a zoo as opposed to photography on a Safari. Surely, lacking the opportunity of the latter, I suppose seeing them in a confined environment is a second best way to meet them? A contentious issue.
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Ripple Effects 