photoartflightBlack-Crowned Night-Heron Enjoying Breakfast
Posted on October 16, 2021
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.
Immature Black-Crowned Night Heron
Posted on May 16, 2020
I found this Immature Black-Crowned Night-Heron hidden in the shade along the trees off Wildlife Drive at J.N. Ding Darling NWR. I was using a 100-400mm lens @400mm. Luckily it did not go deeper into the trees as another one did that was next to it.
Black-Crowned Night-Heron Foraging
Posted on January 9, 2020
Here is a series of images from a previous trip to the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville New Jersey. Now that I am fully retired and closed my studio, I have time to go through images from previous photo outings that I have on my backup drives. This is a series of images of a Black-crowned Night-heron in breeding plumage, foraging for a meal. It was darting back and forth really working this area in one of the channels along the Wildlife Drive. It was fun to watch the Night-Heron and also be close enough to the Wildlife Drive to get closeup images.
2 image panorama (horizontal images)
Black-Crowned & Yellow-Crowned Night-Herons At The Audubon Swamp Garden.
Posted on June 28, 2019
On our way to Florida we stopped at one of our favorite places, the Magnolia Plantation and the Audubon Swamp Garden, which is attached to Magnolia Plantation. Years and years ago we stopped here and that started my interest in photographing birds. Audubon Swamp Garden is a 60-acre cypress and tupelo tree swamp on the grounds of Magnolia Plantation near Charleston, South Carolina. The featured image is a Black-Crowned Night-Heron in a distant tree.
The two images below are a Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron.
Young Black-Crowned Night Heron
Posted on July 26, 2018
When we were at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge I noticed this young Black-crowned Night-Heron along the Wildlife Drive. There are a few areas along the drive that seem to be a popular spot for them to usually be there to get a few photos. They are also one of my favorite birds to photograph, especially when they are searching for a meal. 
Early Morning Clouds At Blackwater NWR
Posted on February 13, 2018
This is from a previous visit to the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge Maryland. We like photographing there for Bald Eagles and landscapes. Being close to the coast, you can get some amazing vibrant colors at sunrise and sunset. This is a little after sunrise and the clouds were fantastic. Shot multiple areas along the Wildlife Drive and this is one in a series. (Once I have a chance to get to the others!)
Black-Crowned Night-Heron’s Breakfast
Posted on July 21, 2017
I was going through some of my older images & I found this image of a Black-Crowned Night-Heron after it caught it’s breakfast. This was shot early in the morning as the sun was coming up. I was watching the Heron on the sticks and I was surprised that all of a sudden he lunged forward and came up with the fish for a meal. I was just watching the Heron so I was not ready for photographing the Heron catching it’s meal. But I got him as he straightened up.
Black-crowned Night-heron with Feather
Posted on December 12, 2016
This was photographed at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Brigantine Division in Oceanville NJ. There is an 8 mile Wildlife Drive that gives you access to a large amount of the refuge for photography. At one of the bends before you go through a wooded area, there are a few trees grouped together out in a marshy area. Many times you can find a wide variety of birds in the trees, on different branches. You have to look closely because some are hidden, but if you watch they usually come out in the open at different times. This Black-crowned Night-heron had a nest on the back side, but came out in the open for a while giving me the opportunity for quite a few shots. It was busy preening and the feather floated down in the front.
Black-crowned Night-heron
Posted on October 24, 2016
Going through some older folders and found these shots of a Black-crowned Night-heron from a while ago. A fun bird to photograph, especially the vibrant red eyes. This seems to be a younger adult. I was using a shorter zoom lens so the background is a little distracting, but I still thought it was an interesting shot of the heron in it’s habitat.
Black-crowned Night-heron Looking For Lunch
Posted on July 16, 2016
When we were leaving the Brigantine Division of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville NJ, we found this Black-crowned Night-heron feeding along the Wildlife Drive. It kept trying but seemed to always get some stringy vegetation instead of what it was looking for. This Black-Crown was also showing the breeding plumage, long white plumes on it’s head. Black-crowned Night-herons don’t get adult plumage until they are about three years old. We watched this Night-heron for about 15 minutes and it did not come up with a meal. We left him trying and headed home.
Two-Shot Vertical Panorama Assembled in Photoshop
