Some birds make you stop everything and just watch. This green heron did that for me at Miner’s Cove on the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.
Miner’s Cove has become one of my favorite local pull-offs. I never know what will show up. I have spent mornings here watching Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, Barred Owls, and even a Cinnamon Raccoon.
Wildlife Notes
On July 7, a green heron flew in and landed on a log not far from my truck. It stayed perched near the water while I watched.
I hoped it would start hunting. Green herons sometimes use a patient, sneaky style around the shoreline, and they can be fun to watch when they get focused on feeding. This one never made a move for a meal during my time there. Even so, it gave me a great pose, and the colors came through nicely against the water and soft background.
Photography Notes
I photographed this bird from my parked truck at Miner’s Cove. I rested my camera on a beanbag over the door window, which helped keep the setup steady without a tripod.
For this shot I used a Canon EOS 7D Mark II with the Canon EF 100–400mm f/4.5–5.6L IS II USM, plus a Canon EF 1.4X III telephoto extender. The extender let me frame tighter while the heron stayed farther out. The tradeoff was a slower maximum aperture, and I was limited to the center autofocus point at f/8.
Light was low near the water, so I went with 1/200 sec at f/8.0, ISO 1250. I shot manual mode with auto ISO and used single point focus to keep the focus exactly where I wanted it. I would rather accept a higher ISO than lose sharpness from a shutter speed that is too slow.
Closing
Even without any hunting action, I was happy with what I brought home. I will be back at Miner’s Cove again, because sooner or later I want to catch a green heron in the middle of its next move.