New Birds to the Collection

New Birds to the Collection

New Birds to the Collection, well this first photo is a new bird to my eyes. It is called a green heron. It was at dusk when I took this photo, so it does not show the beautiful color this bird really is. It is a short stocky bird to say the least.

The Green Heron is one of the world’s few tool-using bird species. It often creates fishing lures with bread crusts, insects, and feathers, dropping them on the surface of the water to entice small fish.

New Birds to the Collection

This one is a Blue Heron, but I am thinking it might be a younger one. It is a lot smaller than the ones I usually see and its feathers were much bluer than the adults.

New Birds to the Collection

Of course one can not be on a beach without seeing the sandpiper birds. They are so commical to watch, they walk so fast, well they always look like they are running. They are not vey shy, they come right up to you most of the time to check out what you are doing on their beach.

New Birds to the Collection

by Sandra J

38 Replies to “New Birds to the Collection”

  1. Beautiful pictures SandraπŸ™‚ The blue heron looks so cute and the green heron looks artistic πŸ˜€πŸ˜

    My husband and I are discussing (arguing πŸ˜†) if the green heron is a photograph or a painting! Did you do any edits for that? πŸ™‚πŸ€—

    1. πŸ˜‰ thank you, I like that you are discussing the green heron photo on its editing. Who picked which edit though? πŸ™‚ it is retouched. It was very low light and I only got the one shot. The noise in the photo was excessive and no detail at all. So when I get a photo lie this but I still want to show it, I do turn it into a painting in photoshop. πŸ™‚

      1. I was saying it must be an edit. My husband was very sure that it’s a painting πŸ˜†

        It looks wonderful. I like your retouches. I remember one more from a couple of months back. You made the trees at the end of a bridge look spooky πŸ˜€ That was also very interesting.

        1. Thank you, yes I like to do more with some of my photos, my mind is always going and I like to see what I can create from my photos sometimes. I can not draw at all or paint. But I can a little bit with photoshop. Thinking outside of the box is what I like to call it. πŸ™‚

  2. I love those Sandpipers – they are cute. I’ve never seen them before. I laugh when I see the Killdeer running around on those long legs. I saw a Green Heron at the marina one time – he had his neck pulled in like your photo so I didn’t think it was heron and went online to search what it was.

      1. Yes like they’re in a hurry to get somewhere. Yes, the green herons are “compact”. πŸ™‚ I was at the Park one morning and saw a Black-Capped Night Heron. We never get them there – someone pointed it out to me – same thing … no neck and very small.

  3. How fascinating that the Green Heron uses lures. I met my first green heron earlier this year when in the mountains. Seemed like Adi was always choosing to dive into the lake right where he was fishing. Boy did she get a scolding from him.

    1. They are such an interesting bird, yes amazing how they fish for food. Our Father never ceases to amaze me with creation.

  4. How fun to see some new to you birds, Sandra! The little sandpipers always make me smile.

    I concur with doerfpub above, that your second image is a Tricolored Heron. That white under the chin and the mottled wings are the giveaways. And they are smaller than a Great Blue Heron. That’s a nice image of him gazing off into the surf.

    1. Thank you very much Ellen, I just read his comment. So exciting, I have never heard of the tri color heron and looked it up. I now know that is what it was. I am excited to keep an eye out for this bird again. I just love discovering something new like this.

      1. They are a fun bird, not quite as sassy as the Snowy Egret in attitude but usually more animated than the Great Blue Heron. We had more of the Tricoloreds the last couple years than previously, not sure why.

  5. Nice shots Sandra – do you happen to have any shots of your blue heron that would better show the front of the neck and possibly the undertail feathering. It seems to have glimpses of white there which could put it in the tricolored Heron arena – the little blues will not have that highlight. Just curious and wasn’t sure where that shot was taken.

    1. Thank you very much for this information, I did not know about the tri colored herons. I looked it up and I believe that is what I saw. I took this photo on the Gulf Coast and am excited to find this bird again. I have never seen a young blue heron so I was thinking that must be what it was because it is smaller then the blue heron. Buy such a pretty blue. Thank you very much. I will post more if I get the opportunity to photograph it again.

      1. You are welcome – the white on the front of the neck and then the undertails is usually a good differentiator, but I could see only a glimpse of it (at least on the neck) so didn’t want to say for sure. Definitely a year round Gulf Coast bird so that lines up as well. A fun bird to observe when it is hunting – unlike some of the other herons and egrets, they are too impatient to sit there and let the food come to them so they are usually splashing all over the place.

        1. Yes, and after looking up this heron I found some others in the heron family that I have never heard of. So that is wonderful information as well. I am so used to only seeing one type of heron when I am in the Midwest.

  6. The Blue Heron is sooooo blue. I’ve never seen that shade before. It looks somewhat gray in other pictures.

    1. Yes, the older herons have just a touch of blue that you can only really see in good light. I was surprised to see how blue this one is. I have seen it twice now.

  7. Lovely shore birds Sandra we have our counterparts down here for each of these Heron. Our Striated Heron is very shy of humans and will leave on sight of a human, but our White-faced Heron is more accepting.

    1. Amazing that they are similar but adapt to where they are to be just a little different. That is what I love about birding.

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