photoartflightBlack-Crowned Night-Heron Enjoying Breakfast
This is from a visit years ago to the Celery Farm Natural Area in Allendale NJ. The Celery Farm is a 107-acre freshwater wetland with Lake Appert. It is open to the public during daylight hours every day of the year. The centerpiece is Lake Appert, a freshwater marsh that attracts waterfowl, herons, and rails. Even though it is smaller in size, it is Great for photography. Often times you will see birds & wildlife fairly closeup. But you will still need a long lens to get very Closeup Images. This Black-Crowned Night Heron was close to shore by one of the paths to the Lookout Platform. Earlier in the morning the wading birds are closer to the shoreline so you can get fairly close images. According to the Camera Raw Data this image was taken @ 5:16 AM with the early morning warm light warm giving a glow to the out of focus Lake behind the Heron. I found the best times there to be in the early morning. The Lake also attracts quite a few Ospreys and being a smaller lake you can usually get some interesting Osprey fishing images. Image here was taken @ f/5.6 for a smoother background with a Canon 400mm DO lens with a 1.4X teleconverter.
photoartflight 
Nice catch! 🙂
Thanks so much Eliza! I guess you could say the heron & I both got a Nice Catch!
Exactly! 🙂
Excellent image, Reed. Great timing, focus and composition.
Thanks so much Jane! This is one of my favorite birds to photograph!
I’d say you both did very well 😊. Very nice!
Thanks so much Belinda! I appreciate your comment!
Very nice , Reed! Another good look at a red eye and that fish looks might tasty.
Thanks Steve! They are fun to watch them catch a fish and I am amazed they can swallow it whole!
Head first or else!
Fantastic photos – And what a mouthful!
Thanks so much! It is amazing what they can swallow whole and still get it down!
Nice shot, thinking the last thing that fish saw was two bright red eyes looking down at it from above the water.
Thanks! I did not think of that! But you are right!!
What a beauty, you caught him real close.
Thanks Greta! They are a fun bird to watch & photograph!