Watching And Waiting

Olympus E-M1 Mark II, Olympus 300mm f/4 PRO lens + 1.4x tele-converter for an effective field of view of 840mm.
1/320th sec. @ f/8; ISO 200  (click to enlarge)

NEW! As of January 1st, I've started an Instagram feed. I'll be posting photos daily so please follow @dennisamook. Thank you. 

As I continue to practice my wildlife and bird photography, I meet other photographers who are out photographing the same subjects.  So far everyone I have met has been very nice and helpful.  As with most of us, they are more than willing to share their knowledge of what wildlife is where and pass that to those of us who are starting this journey.  

A couple weeks ago, one of those photographers shared with me the location of a Great Blue Heron's nest with the female present.  I found the nest high up in a pine tree and out on one of the upper branches.  I would estimate the distance from the closest good camera position to the nest to be about 100 ft. (30m).

1/200th sec. @ f/8; ISO 200 (click to enlarge)

The first time I visited the nest, the sun was directly behind it.  That was mid-morning.  I knew that I would need to return late in the day to have the sunlight directly illuminate the bird and nest instead of behind it, which would make a much nicer image.  

When I made the two images included with this blog post, I set up my camera and lens on my large, sturdy tripod with a gimbal head and watched the nest.  When I first arrived, the mother was tucked far enough in the nest that I could only barely see the top of her head.  So, I watched and waited.  After about an hour, she stood up, partially into the late day sunlight, preened a while, turned about, then proceeded to work on the nest itself.  Finally, after about 15 minutes, she settled down into the nest once more.  I suspect she does this several times a day as she sat in the opposite direction as when I first observed her.

I have checked back on occasion to see if the eggs have hatched and if so, if the chicks are visible.  As of a a couple of days ago, the mother-to-be is still sitting patiently, high up in the pine tree, keeping her eggs warm and preparing the nest for the hatchlings.

I have made a few images of "mama" and when the eggs hatch, hopefully, I can make some interesting images of the mother and chicks.  I'll be watching and waiting, just like the Great Blue Heron.

By the way, the combination of the Olympus E-M1 Mark II and the Olympus 300mm f/4 PRO alone and with the Olympus 1.4x tele-converter continues to amaze and astound me for image quality produced, portability, ease of use as well as fast and accurate focus.  they are a pleasure to use for this type of photography.

Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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