Sandstone Falls, part 2. Great Blue Heron
Sep. 17th, 2023 05:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerWest Virginia Travelog #4
New River Gorge National Park - Sat, 16 Sep 2023. 3:30pm
As I remarked in my previous blog about Sandstone Falls, we had fun getting off the boardwalk trail to scramble over rocks and between trees to see things from a different perspective. All but one of my best pictures from this hike came from things I experienced off-trail.
Among those off-trail experiences were seeing the waterfalls from different, and closer, perspectives. But there were also birds. While composing some of my earlier photos I noticed a pair of large birds stalking the rushes. They were great blue herons— a pair of them. They flew to the top of the falls, but from my vantage point at the time that was too far away to capture a compelling pic even with my "bird shooter" telephoto lens. As I stalked through the reeds myself a better opportunity arrived.
This great blue heron seemed a bit perturbed that he (she?) was not the only creature stepping carefully through the rushes on long legs. I wasn't going to challenge the bird for its fish meal, though, and the only thing I was "hunting" was a closeup photo.
In beauty we both walk.
New River Gorge National Park - Sat, 16 Sep 2023. 3:30pm
As I remarked in my previous blog about Sandstone Falls, we had fun getting off the boardwalk trail to scramble over rocks and between trees to see things from a different perspective. All but one of my best pictures from this hike came from things I experienced off-trail.
Among those off-trail experiences were seeing the waterfalls from different, and closer, perspectives. But there were also birds. While composing some of my earlier photos I noticed a pair of large birds stalking the rushes. They were great blue herons— a pair of them. They flew to the top of the falls, but from my vantage point at the time that was too far away to capture a compelling pic even with my "bird shooter" telephoto lens. As I stalked through the reeds myself a better opportunity arrived.
This great blue heron seemed a bit perturbed that he (she?) was not the only creature stepping carefully through the rushes on long legs. I wasn't going to challenge the bird for its fish meal, though, and the only thing I was "hunting" was a closeup photo.
In beauty we both walk.
