Battling The Wind

It has been very windy with strong gusts around the marsh the past few days. That is not very good flight weather for the birds and many are choosing to delay any optional flying.

But when it becomes absolutely necessary to move to another area they have no choice. This great blue heron was struggling a bit as it flew close to the trees, but these guys know how to use their big wings to full advantage. Sometimes making the body as streamlined as possible when flying helps tremendously in navigating these rather inhospitable conditions.

31 thoughts on “Battling The Wind”

Lyle Krahn on February 25, 2015 at 2:28 pm said:

You really caught the light well on the wings. Did the wind give you an extra second or two to take shots?

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- Phil Lanoue on February 25, 2015 at 3:35 pm said:
  
  Thanks, glad you liked these GBH shots. I took these this past weekend and as best as my limited short term memory can operate, I believe the bird was flying into a headwind which would have slowed him down a bit.
  I do know for a fact that it was windy though. 🙂
  
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Victor Rakmil on February 25, 2015 at 2:29 pm said:

Great captures.

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- Phil Lanoue on February 25, 2015 at 3:35 pm said:
  
  Thanks much Victor.
  
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Judy on February 25, 2015 at 3:05 pm said:

I always enjoy your lovely BIF pictures, especially the Great Blue!! I see what you mean by the wind.

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- Phil Lanoue on February 25, 2015 at 3:37 pm said:
  
  It’s been very windy off and on for over a week here now, and many days I go out and don’t see a lot of flying around, much more standing using the reeds as wind blocks. Glad you liked these GBH pics!
  
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  - Judy on February 25, 2015 at 3:54 pm said:
    
    Sometimes windy days make for challenging photography when the birds seems to be hanging on to a thin limb for dear life and swaying back and forth to extreme degrees. At least for me, I do prefer less motion to contend with when shooting. High winds can drive birds off course too and sometimes results in seeing species not normally in a given area.
    
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    - Phil Lanoue on February 25, 2015 at 3:58 pm said:
      
      One other thing that can be challenging for bird in flight shots is when they have a stiff wind at their back. Then the birds can zip by in a second! Unpredictable gusts can blow them all over too. I feel bad for some of these guys when I see them tossed around out there.
      
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Raewyn's Photos on February 25, 2015 at 3:44 pm said:

Beautiful captures.

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- Phil Lanoue on February 25, 2015 at 3:58 pm said:
  
  Thanks so much, glad you liked seeing the heron in flight.
  
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The Lite Rider on February 25, 2015 at 5:06 pm said:

He’s got his head tucked back too. Beautiful wings, and he’s nice against the muted background.

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- Phil Lanoue on February 25, 2015 at 5:28 pm said:
  
  You are right, he does have his head all tucked back. I liked the heron against that background too.
  
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Charlie@Seattle Trekker on February 25, 2015 at 5:10 pm said:

Great action shots, I really like your interesting use of light.

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- Phil Lanoue on February 25, 2015 at 5:29 pm said:
  
  He was kind of top lit but it ended up working out ok. Thanks for checking these out.
  
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Linda on February 25, 2015 at 5:10 pm said:

It almost like you can see the wind with the way he is flying, beautiful bird combating his flight against the wind.

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- Phil Lanoue on February 25, 2015 at 5:30 pm said:
  
  It’s been rough out there for a while now and neither us nor the wildlife is happy about it.
  
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Pat on February 25, 2015 at 5:23 pm said:

Beautiful sequence.

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- Phil Lanoue on February 25, 2015 at 5:31 pm said:
  
  Thanks for looking Pat.
  
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donna213 on February 25, 2015 at 10:33 pm said:

I like the colorful background in your images, much different than the typical blue sky. And the GBH’s eye is almost illuminated. As always, wonderful photos Phil.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 1, 2015 at 2:28 pm said:
  
  I usually try where possible to get a background of trees, water, or reeds rather then open sky. Of course with higher flyers like eagles and ospreys sometime you have to take what you are given. 🙂
  Glad you enjoyed these!
  
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alesiablogs on February 26, 2015 at 5:18 am said:

Amazing shots! Donna from Garden Walk told me about your blog! I am a newbie with taking photographs!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 1, 2015 at 2:29 pm said:
  
  Well I greatly appreciate your visit here and thanks to Donna for the recommendation. Hope your enjoy your photography!
  
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  - alesiablogs on March 1, 2015 at 2:40 pm said:
    
    Thank you Phil. I have plenty of places to find wildlife living in the Pacific NW, but I don’t always have the time to get out…I finally did yesterday and I noticed I wish I had a lens that could get even a closer shot!!! I think though I need to just stick with the nice camera!
    
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    - alesiablogs on March 1, 2015 at 2:44 pm said:
      
      I meant stick with the camera I have !!! Nikon 80 D. I did see some a large amount of Heron yesterday and photographed them a bit. We also saw over 50 eagles alone..It was a sight to behold!
      
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Birder's Journey on February 26, 2015 at 7:36 am said:

We had similar weather in the past couple of weeks, and I noticed the large birds ventured out against the wind more than the smaller ones. These are beauties!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 1, 2015 at 2:31 pm said:
  
  I’m still not sure if the larger birds have an easier time flying in wind because they have bigger wings, or if it’s actually harder due to their size and weight. I do think many birds reduce optional flying in strong wind as it has to use up more energy, but feeding must continue.
  
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  - Birder's Journey on March 1, 2015 at 2:32 pm said:
    
    Good points!
    
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anotherday2paradise on February 26, 2015 at 4:46 pm said:

It’s also terrible windy here too, Phil. A Turkey Buzzard blew into my backyard this afternoon. I’ve never seen one here before. Great shots of the Great Blue. Mine hasn’t moved an inch all day. He’s just hunkered down in his feathers, keeping warm.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 1, 2015 at 2:36 pm said:
  
  Vultures are like pigeons around here, we can see some flying around almost everywhere, but usually high up. We had a deer hit and off the side of the road a couple weeks ago and driving by the next day there were half a dozen black vultures sitting on it.
  In the colder then normal, and windy weather we have been enduring lately, I see GBH heads just barely poking above the reeds out in the marsh. They are also taking it pretty easy.
  Glad you enjoyed these shots Sylvia!
  
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foxleylady on February 28, 2015 at 9:25 am said:

Such wonderful action photos of a favourite, Phil! Life can be hard for the wildlife.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 1, 2015 at 2:38 pm said:
  
  We often feel bad for much of the wildlife when weather turns bad, but life in nature goes on. Of course now that our local bald eagle pair have their chick we constantly worry about the well being of the little guy, and hope these very young parents will know what to do. Again, nature usually does know best. 🙂
  
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