Black-crowned night-heron

[Uncle Frank]

Black-crowned night-heron

Identification Tips:

• Length: 20 inches Wingspan: 44 inches
• Sexes similar
• Fairly small, stocky, short-legged and short-necked heron
• Bill medium-sized and pointed
• Tucks neck in close to body in flight and at rest, rarely extending it

Appearance:

• Red eyes, legs yellow
• Black bill
• Black crown and back
• White face, throat, foreneck, chest and belly
• Blue-gray wings
• Two long, white, filamentous plumes extending from back of head in alternate plumage

I had a chance to do some studies on this hardy little heron at the Baylands Preserve yesterday.

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

View attachment 90065

View attachment 90066

View attachment 90067

View attachment 90068

View attachment 90069

View attachment 90070

Note that the juvenile BCNH looks very different from the adults.

Juvenile:

• Eyes yellowish to amber, legs dull greyish
• Yellow base to bill
• Brown head, neck, chest and belly streaked with buff and white
• Wings and back darker brown with large white spots at the tips of the feathers; spots especially large on the greater secondary coverts

Here's an example, taken June '05.

View attachment 90071

 

[The chemist]

Love the third one frank! I still need to get a few decent shots of these guys:biggrin: they evade me. Their eyes are pretty sweet!

 

[Louis Champan]

Super shots Frank. Great captures of them going about their nest gathering tasks. I'd agree the third shot is a very nice capture.

Louie

 

[Phil K]

Great captures, UF.

 

[jryoung1947]

All super, especially #3. BRAVO

 

[Flew]

Excellent set Frank. I love this species, especially the huge, almost glowing red eyes. :smile:

 

[Uncle Frank]

Thank to all for your kind comments.

Frank, the red eyes are a little freaky. I'm not sure whether they need Visine or an exorcist. I like their "pigtails". Makes them look like hippie birds - lol.

 

[Jeff Lee]

Nice images UF. I once found a tree that about a hundred of them in it, made for a rather interesting shot. If you know someone whose got a KenkoPro 1.4 you might borrow it and try it on that 180. I, for the first time, used one I got here with my 80-200 last weekend and it was a nice combination. I'm sure the 180 would also do well with it.

I've found in birding no matter what lens you have, you are always a 100mm short

 

[Baxter]

Beautiful shots Frank. All really interesting, with lots of great detail and movement.

 

[Uncle Frank]

Nice images UF. I once found a tree that about a hundred of them in it, made for a rather interesting shot. If you know someone whose got a KenkoPro 1.4 you might borrow it and try it on that 180.

Actually, I have one, Jeff. I've used it on both my 80-200 and 180, and it works pretty well. But there's a cost in terms of effective aperture, AF speed, and image quality, so I prefer to used the unburdened lenses.

I've found in birding no matter what lens you have, you are always a 100mm short

Hehehe. Normally true, but in this case, I was so close to the birds that I had to back off from the 200mm setting for many of my shots. This shot, for instance, is a crop of a frame that was taken at 112mm.

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

 

[senna]

Great shots Frank. I was back up there myself today. Isn't it funny the noise those guys make? Met a guy up there that had 4 or 5 bodies lecia,d40x, d70s,d80. Said he was maping (my word} sensor for new APPLE software.

 

[andreasb]

Very nice Frank! # 3 is the favorite with the wings swooping forward - very well done!

 

[Uncle Frank]

Great shots Frank. I was back up there myself today. Isn't it funny the noise those guys make?

They are hilarious. Their gurgling had me giggling while I was shooting .