Grey Heron: Mangalajodi Magic

[Satyabrata Mishra]

Grey Heron: Mangalajodi

Canon 40D, 100-400 L IS, f/7.1, 1/3200, ISO 400, Focal Length 400mm, Aperture Priority

The Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae.

Field Identification.
It is a large bird, standing 90-100 cm tall, with a 175-195 cm wingspan and a weight of 1-2 kg. Its plumage is largely grey above, and off-white below. Adults have a white head with a broad black supercilium and slender crest, while immatures have a dull grey head. It has a powerful, pinkish-yellow bill, which is brighter in breeding adults. It has a slow flight, with its long neck retracted (S-shaped). This is characteristic of herons and bitterns, and distinguishes them from storks, cranes and spoonbills, which extend their necks.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

I like the wing position. Typically it looks good when the wings are fully up or down.

You have clicked at the right time. So the eye contact is also good here. I think in the next shot the bird would have moved further away, and the eye contact would not have been as good.

I wish, you had the sun behind you. Some more space at the bottom would have been good. Overall, it is nice. Thanks for sharing. Look forward to more images from mangalajodi.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Mrudul Godbole]

Beautifully captured. I agree with Sabyasachi, the wing position and the eye contact is nice. I liked the background too. Thanks for sharing the information. Keep posting.

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Good capture. Nice composition. Maybe you could try to open up the shadows a bit. TFS.

[AB Apana]

Good capture, agree about the space and it does need opening up a bit.

Apana

[Bibhav Behera]

I like the composition. I agree about opening up the shadows a bit more. Thanks for sharing.