Grey Heron with Nesting material

[Stu Bowie]

I visited the University in Pretoria on saturday morning to see how the Herons were doing. I managed to capture some incoming shots of this parent Grey Heron returning with nesting material. I witnessed it giving the nesting material over to one of the chicks in the nest. The sun kept disappearing behind clouds and in this image, I think I was experiencing one of those moments. Taken early morning.

Canon 1D Mark IV
Canon 300mm F/2.8 +2X TC = 600mm
1/2000
F/5.6
ISO 800

Hand Held

[John Mack]

Nice pose on the bird the nesting material is a plus.

[gail bisson]

Hi Stu,
That is one heck of a big stick.
Nice incoming pose. Nice and sharp.
I really like the bent legs and splayed feet.
If this was mine, I would clone out the end of the branch that intersects with the birds right foot.
I love the full wing flare and flared wingtips,
Gail

[Lorant Voros]

Super head on landing pose, nice nesting material. I love head on shots and this has it all....action and symmetry. Well done.

[annmpacheco]

Hi Stu,
Super job here, i really like the angle and the dead on mission the heron has. The feet, big branch, and wispy feathers dd more interest. Nice one!

[Jonathan Ashton]

You absolutely nailed it Stu, love the plumage colours, I also like the composition. I don't think the greyish sky is a problem I think it is a good backdrop for the heron.

[Stu Bowie]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.