Out Early

Last week I was patrolling around one of the marsh ponds during the morning when I heard an unusual but familiar squawking sound coming from the trees. Suddenly this young black crowned night heron surprised me by flying out and across the pond. What was unusual and surprising is that, as their name implies, the night herons are much more likely to be active and flying at dusk then in morning. They normally spend their days relaxing in trees or among the marsh reeds. But this one apparently had an early appointment and needed to get a move on!

38 thoughts on “Out Early”

Chillbrook on March 27, 2013 at 6:08 pm said:

Lovely photo Phil.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 27, 2013 at 6:36 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much Adrian!
  
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Charlie@Seattle Trekker on March 27, 2013 at 6:17 pm said:

I am surprised you were able to respond so quickly and snap a great photo. I do really appreciate the background information.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 27, 2013 at 6:36 pm said:
  
  Thanks for your kind complement and glad you enjoyed the info as well!
  
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Bella Remy Photography on March 27, 2013 at 6:34 pm said:

You are so lucky to have seen one of these. It’s on my list!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 27, 2013 at 6:38 pm said:
  
  I was glad I saw it also. I saw an adult as well in one of the trees.
  Photographed two cattle egrets this afternoon in breeding plumage. 🙂 I’ll send ya some pics later if I get to them.
  
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  - Bella Remy Photography on March 27, 2013 at 6:40 pm said:
    
    Just rub it in okay..couldn’t bird today because the winds were too strong.
    
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    - Phil Lanoue on March 27, 2013 at 7:34 pm said:
      
      Also saw a roseate spoonbill and a flight of six glossy ibis. Not a bad day. Sorry… 😳
      Winds have been rough here too the last couple days.
      
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      - Bella Remy Photography on March 27, 2013 at 7:38 pm said:
        
        I’m so sick of the winds..hard to hand hold that 500mm !
        
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        Phil Lanoue on March 27, 2013 at 7:41 pm said:
        
        Oh jeez, I bet!
        I was gonna do a time lapse yesterday afternoon cause the clouds looked really good rolling in but I was afraid the wind would blow the camera right over.
        
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        Bella Remy Photography on March 27, 2013 at 7:43 pm said:
        
        LOL! We really have such troubles don’t we? Now that my reader is working again, going to get caught up!
        
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mariayarri on March 27, 2013 at 6:54 pm said:

Thanks for your informative text , i really learn a lot since i start following your blog .
I love the way you captured this black crowned night heron and his beautiful plumage !
// Maria

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- Phil Lanoue on March 27, 2013 at 7:35 pm said:
  
  Thank you so much Maria, I’m very happy you enjoyed the photo and info!
  
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Tricia Booker Photography on March 27, 2013 at 10:28 pm said:

Beautiful!!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 28, 2013 at 1:09 pm said:
  
  Thanks for looking!
  
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Andrew on March 27, 2013 at 11:49 pm said:

Night herons are common in some parts of HK and they do loaf a lot. But if you get out early you can catch them flying off their roosts and they make nice images. The challenge is getting enough light for a decent quality shot. This is a tough shot to nail, Phil because you have little contrast between bird and background but you have some brighter highlights on the wing. Well done!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 28, 2013 at 1:11 pm said:
  
  Thanks Andrew.
  This was in late morning (almost noon) so I was surprised at it’s appearance and the back and side lighting was a bit challenging.
  
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meyer23 on March 28, 2013 at 3:41 am said:

Great shot, Phil.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 28, 2013 at 1:11 pm said:
  
  Thanks, glad you liked it.
  
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janmasyn on March 28, 2013 at 4:42 am said:

Beautiful shot Phil, great light.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 28, 2013 at 1:12 pm said:
  
  Thanks Jan, the contrasty back and side lighting made it a bit challenging.
  
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lucianaele on March 28, 2013 at 4:47 am said:

Non penso di poter ancora passare da te.
Auguro a te e famiglia i migliori auguri per una serena Pasqua.
Un abbraccio,
Luciana

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- Phil Lanoue on March 28, 2013 at 1:15 pm said:
  
  Grazie e Buona Pasqua anche a voi 🙂
  
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Maggie Davey on March 28, 2013 at 7:58 am said:

This looks like a typical teenager, home late after a night on the tiles! First time I have heard of a night heron, Phil.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 28, 2013 at 1:13 pm said:
  
  Yes indeed, typical adolescent for sure Maggie. Thanks for checking out this night heron photo!
  
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Amy on March 28, 2013 at 9:49 am said:

I, too, am learning about birds from your blog. Thank you so much, Phil!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 28, 2013 at 1:13 pm said:
  
  Glad you are having fun and learning about these birds Amy!
  
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HansHB on March 28, 2013 at 10:38 am said:

Love Your photo!
Well done!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 28, 2013 at 1:14 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much Hans I appreciate it!
  
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Jon Rista on March 28, 2013 at 3:44 pm said:

Lucky duck! You live in such a great area for bird photography, with so many opportunities to get great shots. Love the sun shining through the wing in this one.

I don’t think I’ve seen any Night Herons yet out here in Colorado. We had a few last year, but I was rather unskilled at bird photography at the time, and only got a couple shots. And, as you mentioned, they were usually out and about most after the sun set, so photographing them when they were particularly active would be a bit difficult.

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- Jon Rista on March 28, 2013 at 3:45 pm said:
  
  Er, sorry…no pun intended with the “Lucky duck!” comment…heh, too easy to make a joke like that on a bird photographers blog. 😛
  
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  - Phil Lanoue on March 29, 2013 at 10:23 am said:
    
    Hey no worries, I’m just happy you enjoy the bird photos and I really appreciate you looking and commenting!
    I have a few other night heron posts from this past summer but I just realized I never made a night heron gallery for the top section of my blog here. I know I have other pics of them including flights.
    https://phillanoue.com/category/night-heron/
    
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adinparadise on March 28, 2013 at 3:47 pm said:

Great photo, Phil. Maybe he had a business breakfast t o get to. 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on March 29, 2013 at 10:24 am said:
  
  That’s sure what it looked like to me as well and apparently from the way it busted out of the trees suddenly, it must have been running late. 🙂
  Glad you liked this Sylvia, thanks!
  
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FeyGirl on March 29, 2013 at 9:55 am said:

What a beautiful shot – these guys are so tough to spot and capture in flight!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 29, 2013 at 10:26 am said:
  
  Thanks a bunch so glad you liked this! Yes they can be tough to spot and photograph. I know I have other flight shots of some and just realized I never made a gallery page of night herons on the top section of my blog.
  Here are a few past posts though…
  https://phillanoue.com/category/night-heron/
  
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debdak on April 3, 2013 at 6:41 am said:

Nice shot

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- Phil Lanoue on April 3, 2013 at 10:11 am said:
  
  Thanks very much.
  
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