I’ll be heading down to Florida next Wednesday to visit my mother. Last time I was there, I took a drive out to the Corkscrew Swamp near her place in Bonita Springs and came across this black-capped night heron feasting on a catfish. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/125th of a second.
Nice shot, Sean. Your comment does not mention that you used a flash. Great lighting – was this taken at first light in the wee hours of the morning by any chance?
It was in the morning, but not too early. The heron was in a shaded area of brackish water and a few spots of light were filtering in from the trees. So it was a very dark scene and I had to bracket my exposure probably -2 or -3 stops. And yes, correct, no flash.
It’s got to be hard to be a night heron. You’re just getting done herroning and going to bed when everyone else in the world is just getting up and starting to heron.
Corkscrew Sanctuary is my favorite place in Florida! The last time we were there (about a month ago) we saw Painted Buntings, along with pairs of Pileated woodpeckers flying around our heads, and the other usual suspects: anhingas, blue herons, wood storks, etc. It is sad that willows seem to be taking over the swamp lookout area. Anyone visiting SW Florida and interested in wildlife should put Corskcrew Sanctuary on their must do list.
We use cookies to enhance your experience while using our website. If you are using our Services via a browser you can restrict, block or remove cookies through your web browser settings. We also use content and scripts from third parties that may use tracking technologies. You can selectively provide your consent below to allow such third party embeds. For complete information about the cookies we use, data we collect and how we process them, please check our Privacy Policy
I’ll be heading down to Florida next Wednesday to visit my mother. Last time I was there, I took a drive out to the Corkscrew Swamp near her place in Bonita Springs and came across this black-capped night heron feasting on a catfish. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/125th of a second.
Nice shot, Sean. Your comment does not mention that you used a flash. Great lighting – was this taken at first light in the wee hours of the morning by any chance?
It was in the morning, but not too early. The heron was in a shaded area of brackish water and a few spots of light were filtering in from the trees. So it was a very dark scene and I had to bracket my exposure probably -2 or -3 stops. And yes, correct, no flash.
It’s got to be hard to be a night heron. You’re just getting done herroning and going to bed when everyone else in the world is just getting up and starting to heron.
That’s a catfish? It’s so SMALL (typed in all caps, LOL)
Corkscrew Sanctuary is my favorite place in Florida! The last time we were there (about a month ago) we saw Painted Buntings, along with pairs of Pileated woodpeckers flying around our heads, and the other usual suspects: anhingas, blue herons, wood storks, etc. It is sad that willows seem to be taking over the swamp lookout area. Anyone visiting SW Florida and interested in wildlife should put Corskcrew Sanctuary on their must do list.