Great Blue Heron - David Mathre Photography

Friday (26-December-2008) — Florida

Gone to See Florida 2008 Road Trip Day 5: Pair of Great Blue Heron Dancing.

Back again at Fort De Soto Park. This is a great birding location. I saw these two Great Blue Herons dancing just off a small mangrove island. Another example where the high-resolution of the D3x camera proved useful for wildlife images. The camera is not just for studio applications.

Great Blue Heron Dancing in the Morning Sun. Image taken with an Nikon D3x and 300 mm f/2.8 lens with 1.4 II TC (ISO 200, 420 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)

Thursday (25-December-2008) — Florida

Gone to See Florida 2008 Road Trip Day 4: Christmas in Florida at Fort De Soto Park

Great Blue Heron at Fort De Soto County Park just outside of St. Petersburg, Florida. This image taken with a Nikon D3x and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens. I am very impressed with the Nikon D3x camera with its 24 MP sensor.

Great Blue Heron at Fort DeSoto Park in St. Petersburg, Florida. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens (ISO 100, 300 mm, f/2.8, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)

Tuesday (23-December-2008) — Florida

Gone to See Florida 2008 Road Trip Day 2: Fort De Soto Park.

I drove to Fort De Soto park early in the morning with a goal of photographing the sun rising through the Sunshine Skyway bridge. I then spent a few hours photographing birds at various locations at the park.

Sun rising under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge from Fort De Soto Park. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera and 200-400 mm f/4 telephoto zoom lens (ISO 800, 200 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre)

Saturday (19-January-2008) — New Jersey

Winter Nature in New Jersey.

Great Blue Heron and a pair of Mallard Ducks in the pond at the nearby Sourland Mountain Preserve. I guess they decided to spend the winter here rather than in Florida. Some years this pond freezes over.

Great Blue Heron and Mallards. Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 800, 400 mm, f/8, 1/250 sec) (David J Mathre) — Great Blue Heron and Mallards. Sourland Mountain Preserve. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 800, 400 mm, f/8, 1/250 sec)

Thursday (27-December-2007) — Florida

Gone to See America. December 2007 Florida Road Trip. Day 6: Birds at Fort De Soto Park.

It is always fun going to Fort De Soto Park. It is located on the southern end of Pinellas county separating Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The park is known for its beaches and is a great location to take bird pictures. The three images for this day include a Great Blue Heron, a White Egret having a cricket for breakfast, and an Osprey building a nest under a full moon.

Great Blue Heron. Image taken with an Nikon D2xs and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 120 mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre) — Great Blue Heron. Image taken with an Nikon D2xs and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 120 mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec).

White Egret having a Cricket for Breakfast. Image taken with an Nikon D300 and 200 mm f/2 VR lens with TC-20 II (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/11, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre) — White Egret having a Cricket for Breakfast. Image taken with an Nikon D300 and 200 mm f/2 VR lens with TC-20 II (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/11, 1/400 sec).

Osprey Landing on Nest under a Nearly Full Moon. Image taken with an Nikon D300 and 200 mm f/2 VR lens with TC-17 II (ISO 200, 340 mm, f/11, 1/340 sec). (David J Mathre)