The “Tweener” | Phil Lanoue Photography

The “Tweener”

The little blue heron is one of my favorite birds, and this immature heron is in the most appealing phase of it’s development. Little blue herons start out as all white juveniles. But by the time they’re a year old, they slowly begin to change into the all blue adult they will eventually become. This in between, or “tweener” phase, when they are a patchwork of blue and white, is when the little blue looks the best in my opinion.

43 thoughts on “The “Tweener””

vastlycurious.com on March 4, 2014 at 3:49 pm said:

I had no idea! So sweet!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 4, 2014 at 3:58 pm said:
  
  They really are a fun and interesting bird!
  Feel free to check out the LBH gallery for more examples of tweeners as well as adults and all white juveniles. 🙂
  
  https://phillanoue.com/little-blue-heron-photos/
  
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  - vastlycurious.com on March 4, 2014 at 4:01 pm said:
    
    Cool, thanks!
    
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    - Phil Lanoue on March 4, 2014 at 4:53 pm said:
      
      🙂
      
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janmasyn on March 4, 2014 at 3:53 pm said:

Awesome shot Phil!!!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 4, 2014 at 3:59 pm said:
  
  Hey thanks so much Jan, glad you liked seeing the tweener!
  
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Patrizia M. on March 4, 2014 at 4:19 pm said:

E’ veramente bello Phil e tu gli hai fatto una foto eccezionale!!
Ciao, Pat

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- Phil Lanoue on March 4, 2014 at 5:21 pm said:
  
  Lui è un bel ragazzo! 🙂
  
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Cowboys and Crossbones on March 4, 2014 at 4:30 pm said:

I love that they’re called tweeners! My new favorite word. Fabulous photo, my friend!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 4, 2014 at 4:54 pm said:
  
  Isn’t that a great word?! That’s almost the best part of seeing one of these guys, getting to say “tweener”!
  
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acuriousgal on March 4, 2014 at 4:59 pm said:

Wonderful, Phil!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 4, 2014 at 5:17 pm said:
  
  Oh thanks a bunch! Glad you enjoyed this pic!
  
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Tricia Booker Photography on March 4, 2014 at 5:15 pm said:

Wow, that’s so cool! I agree, that’s my favorite look. Great image!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 4, 2014 at 5:18 pm said:
  
  They are cool birds and I really like this look of the juvies!
  
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Steve Gingold on March 4, 2014 at 7:18 pm said:

I think this tweener has some pretty interesting markings. But we know that youth tends to be more into appearances before they get to the staid adult stage.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 5, 2014 at 3:20 pm said:
  
  This guy has a little time left where he can look a bit outrageous before having to settle in for a more reserved adulthood.
  
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Garden Walk Garden Talk on March 4, 2014 at 8:36 pm said:

I never knew what they looked like young. I would have been looking for days to try to identify this bird if I saw one.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 5, 2014 at 3:22 pm said:
  
  When they are all white juveniles they look almost identical to regular adult snowy egrets. I have seen groups of snowys and only through careful observation did I realize a young LBH was among the group.
  Once they start getting some blue they are easier to spot.
  
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Gunta on March 4, 2014 at 9:47 pm said:

Learned something else today from you! This little guy really is cute!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 5, 2014 at 3:23 pm said:
  
  Yeah I really like them in this in between phase. 🙂
  
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judysbirds on March 4, 2014 at 10:07 pm said:

I’ve seen the mature adults, and I’ve seen the all-white juveniles, with their greenish-blue legs. I’ve never seen the ‘tweener’ stage. Thanks for sharing!!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 5, 2014 at 3:23 pm said:
  
  I glad I got an opportunity to show you this interesting bird!
  
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Deborah Freeman on March 4, 2014 at 10:23 pm said:

wonderful pic…beautiful, everything about it!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 5, 2014 at 3:23 pm said:
  
  Thanks a bunch for the kind words!
  
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foxleylady on March 5, 2014 at 7:47 am said:

I love the blue herons, as you know, Phil! This little “tweener” (lovely word) is gorgeous, like a lot of juvenile creatures.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 5, 2014 at 3:24 pm said:
  
  They are one of my all time favorite birds when in the tweener phase. Glad you like them too Maggie!
  
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jeannemeeks on March 5, 2014 at 9:57 am said:

Thanks. I learn something new everyday.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 5, 2014 at 3:24 pm said:
  
  I’m happy you enjoyed seeing this cool little guy!
  
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Sreejith Nair on March 5, 2014 at 1:27 pm said:

Superb shot… Perfectly focused.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 5, 2014 at 3:25 pm said:
  
  Hey thanks very much for checking this out and I appreciate your very kind words!
  
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dinajohnston on March 5, 2014 at 2:10 pm said:

I’ve seen them with the mixed spots but this is the first time I’ve seen one flying with the mix of feathers. Beautiful catch!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 5, 2014 at 3:26 pm said:
  
  Glad you enjoyed this shot of the tweener!
  More flight shots of similar LBHs can be seen here: 🙂
  https://phillanoue.com/little-blue-heron-photos/
  
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Lyle Krahn on March 5, 2014 at 5:23 pm said:

Fascinating. I’ve never seen that before.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 6, 2014 at 6:33 pm said:
  
  I really love seeing these guys and they are funny because they are the opposite of the white ibis who start out dark then turn into all white adults.
  
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The Dancing Rider on March 5, 2014 at 6:11 pm said:

This adolescent is so super cute. I love this photo. And look how focused and, to me, happy, he is! 🙂 He looks so fresh, with such pretty colors.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 6, 2014 at 6:34 pm said:
  
  He does look happy and looks like he is in a hurry too. Maybe he has a girlfriend on the other side of the marsh. 🙂
  
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Jon Rista on March 5, 2014 at 6:18 pm said:

Beautiful shot! Again, love the wing position here, just wonderful.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 6, 2014 at 6:34 pm said:
  
  I appreciate that very much, thanks!
  
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oldshutterhand on March 6, 2014 at 4:00 am said:

Perfect shot of that slow and majestic flying bird.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 6, 2014 at 6:36 pm said:
  
  He was actually flying along at a pretty good clip. The LBHs are often high flyers too, I don’t get a lot of photos of them flying at low water level.
  Thanks a bunch for checking out this photo! 🙂
  
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coast72 on March 6, 2014 at 8:41 am said:

First time I’ve ever seen or heared of that before , I bet his parents are really chuffed to have such a gorgeous tweener 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on March 6, 2014 at 6:38 pm said:
  
  He was a cute little all white fluff ball when he was a baby and now on his way to being a regular big boy. I’m sure his parents are proud. 🙂
  
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FeyGirl on March 10, 2014 at 10:34 am said:

What a wonderful shot!! I just love this stage….

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