Monday, February 2, 2015

We Are Family

Double D and I happened upon a family of Black-crowned Night Herons. The young'uns are streaked with brown feathers and orange eyes; the adults have slate gray outer wing feathers with navy blue back and head with long white plumes, and red eyes. We discovered about a dozen of them near LSU Lakes in Baton Rouge. They were in a little pond tucked away from all the main activity. It was a nice find the third week of January.







53 comments:

Bob Bushell said...

Absolutely stunning photos Gail.

Hootin Anni said...

Terrific!!! Just like something out of National Geographic Magazine...picture perfection.

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

Cool beans!! I'll bet ya were grinning like crazy. Loved these.

The Cranky said...

Absolutely gorgeous Gail! The juveniles and adults look so different I'd not have thought they were the same kind of bird if you hadn't told us!

Breathtaking said...

Incredible captures of the Black-crowned Night Herons Gail.Superb photography, and so nicely framed.

eileeninmd said...

Wow, what a cool sight to see. It is neat seeing a family of herons. Awesome photos, Gail!

EG CameraGirl said...

I've never seen so many in one place. YEP, great find!

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

A great find indeed! And you got brilliant pictures.

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Wow- what a find! These are great shots, Gail!

Anvilcloud said...

They don't look too much like the Great Blues that I am more familiar with, but they're very cute and photogenic. Marvellous work as usual.

Shug said...

Hello Friend....hope this Monday morning finds you well...warm....and Happy!! Great how you captured the beauty of these night Herons as well as their character. The expressions left me wondering, what they must be "Thinking"... The twist of the head...adorable! have a great day.

Hilary said...

They're wonderful captures, Gail. Night herons are such fine birds. Where I lived before moving here, the nearby park pond where I always walked attracted three types of herons. These wonderful night herons, the great blue and the green heron. I miss my birds! Thanks for reuniting me the this crew.

Anonymous said...

Fabulous shots!

TexWisGirl said...

so fabulous! i've only seen the yellow-crowned here! neat!

Stephanie said...

Hi sweet friend! Is it just me or has it been a little while since I have visited? I have missed you, dear Gail :)

Your photos are stunning and the red/orange eyes of these birds look quite beautiful. Hugs to you!

Unknown said...

Such amazing photos my friend. What a treat to find these guys.

Hugs~

hootnonny said...

Yall meet the most interesting families while out and about! Amazing that the brown ones will end up looking like the grey ones!

nookworm said...

Oh MY! Stunning pictures! Just amazing shots.

Irma said...

Absolutely stunning photos, Gail.
Photo 3 is my favorite.
Best regards, Irma

21 Wits said...

Oh my goodness, what lovely excellent captures, it's like I can reach out and be there. The very last one, he almost looks like he's a painting! Beautiful photos.

Kathy said...

The marking on the little ones look almost like a roadrunner! Great find.

Bas. said...

zoveel bij elkaar heb ik er nog nooit gezien.

maryaustria said...

This are amazing captures of these beautiful birds! So great!

Pantherka said...

Beautiful photos.

renae said...

Gail, Gail, Gail! I'm back and feeling so happy to be back. Your photos here are fabulous. I love seeing their wonderful deep navy blue feathers featured so well in your snaps. Yay!!! ♥

Melissa said...

Great find! I used to see this bird when I lived in California, but only one at a time.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Great photos! The baby is so sweet. I love these birds; have never seen so many in one spot!

Anonymous said...

What wonderful photos of this little family group.

Inspired By June said...

They are all so earnest looking, lol! A wonderful collection, Gail! Love seeing the immature and mature together. Blessings!

Bethany Carson said...

Oh wow! Now those are neat-looking birds! Great captures!

Ruth Hiebert said...

Amazing pictures. Those eyes really pop.

DeniseinVA said...

Those black-crowned night herons are the prettiest birds, and to see so many of them and a baby, what a treat! Thanks for sharing them with us Gail. Your photos are as always fantastic!

Juliana said...

Кумедні пташки! деякі з них виглядають суворими))))

xoxo, Juliana | PJ’ Happies :) | PJ’ Ecoproject

Anita Johnson said...

Their feathers are amazing aren't they? The detail is wonderful in your photos!

Debbie said...

oh my, those eyes, they are magnificent!!

gorgeous images!!!

Susan said...

Amazing photos of these beautiful birds, Gail! Thank you for sharing with us :)

Optimistic Existentialist said...

Hi Gail!! I love those Heron pics. I especially love their beautiful eyes!

Ida said...

These Herons are fabulous. I've never seen this variety before. I like their eyes.

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

It was interesting to see the adult and juvenile versions of these herons, Gail. Like swans these young-uns will turn into beauties.

diane b said...

Fabulous shots of these interesting bird. I haven't seen them before. Love the red eyes.

Kenneth Cole Schneider said...

Beautiful shots of these handsome birds. I wonder if their rookery was close by.

Beate said...

Those birds are so so beautiful! Amazing shots! So wonderful you found them in that quiet spot :)

A Colorful World said...

Beautiful birds! Beautiful photos!

Anonymous said...

Another wonderful example for my natural history education.

Joke (Joke's Camera) said...

Wow, you've seen a lot of them, Gail. I am already happy when I see one. You live there in a paradise. Stunning series. Greetings from the Netherlands, Joke

rainfield61 said...

The baby is cute.

Father and daughter?

Helma said...

Really fantastic!
In the Netherlands you see other than a quack (heron-like) and you're showing here a whole family quack. Wonderful to see and gradioze beautiful pictures!

Donna said...

Gail these birds are gorgeous...I have never seen a Black-crowned Night Herons.

Lea said...

Beautiful birds!
Great photos!
Lea

Unknown said...

Awesome photos! I love the red eyes on the adults. Very striking.

Rick (Ratty) said...

These are beautiful birds. You got such good pictures of them. I used to find a couple of them in a small lake I used to visit.

Anonymous said...

Great shots! I love their orange eyes!

Suzan said...

Beautiful Herons!!!