Tri-colored Heron Dip Fishing

[Joseph Przybyla]

I captured this image at Circle B Bar Reserve in Polk County, Florida. Where wading birds will be found is controlled by the depth of the water. Most time they are wading in shallow water looking for prey, but when the water gets just right this behavior is observed. The water has to be shallow so the minnows and prey are forced to the surface. Then Tri-colored Herons and Snowy Egrets fly dragging their feet across the water's surface. Seeing a minnow the head plunges into the water catching the prey. This behavior is only seen when the small ponds are very low from dry conditions. Comments and critique welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for viewing.

Nikon D500
Nikon 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6 VRII AF-S ED, image captured at 150mm
1/2500 F/8 Matrix Metering EV -1/3 ISO 560 Auto 1 WB HH
Post processed in Lightroom Classic, Photoshop CC 2020 and Neat Image for noise reduction
Cropped and canvas added for composition and presentation

P.S. Learn more about Circle B Bar Reserve in the BAA Middle Florida Photography Site Guide that Artie and I co-authored. It is available on the Birds As Art Online Store.

[David Roach]

I've seen this behavior many times and even caught it a few times but none as perfectly timed as this. Love the eye through the pressure wave, the dragging feet and especially the droplets. Only wish for better light and lower angle. TFS

[gail bisson]

Very well done.
Love the perfect reflection of the head.
Nice and sharp. Perfect exposure.
I think it needs a degree of CCW rotation.
Gail

[John Mack]

Looks great. Nice to have the reflection and all that water splashing. Image quality looks great. Framing is right on as well.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Nice action, colours, sharpeness. Pretty cool pose. Even though the eye is covered by a thin layer of water, I'd consider a bit of work on it to make it clearer.