I was up before dawn this morning, eager to capture the early morning light at my favorite wildlife spot – the Sally Jones Causeway in the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge. This area is renowned for its abundance of great blue herons and great egrets, and I’ve been photographing them here all summer long.
As the sunrise began to light up the marsh, I slowly drove along the auto tour road looking for the perfect photo op. Suddenly, I spotted this great blue heron perched on a dead tree limb right by the road. He was grasping a large green sunfish in his beak, no doubt preparing for his breakfast.
I quickly threw my Fujifilm X-T3 camera on a bean bag over the truck’s open window and attached my Canon EF 100-400mm lens with a Fringer EF-FX Pro adapter. Adjusting my settings to f/5.6 aperture, 1/1300 second shutter speed, and ISO 1600 to compensate for the early morning light, I composed my shot around the heron’s head and fish, avoiding the obstructing branches.
Just as I took the shot, a pickup truck came down the narrow road. I had to quickly move my vehicle off to the side to let it pass, hoping the commotion wouldn’t scare off my subject. Thankfully the heron remained in place just long enough for me to get this crisp, close-up capture of it with its fresh catch.
After grabbing this great shot, I stuck around to see what other wildlife moments I could photograph in the golden morning light. The early start and patience paid off with this great blue heron image, and now I’m eager to see what other natural wonders this refuge has to offer today.
Steve Creek, Wildlife Photographer