Building the Nest

A Great Blue Heron in flight while carrying a branch to contribute to a nest being built in a tree in Stanley Park, Vancouver, B.C.. The male heron collects nesting material which includes twigs and oftentimes large branches as seen in this particular image, and presents it to the female who will accept or reject the branch as suitable nesting material.

I captured this image in Stanley Park, Vancouver, B.C. where a colony of Great Blue Herons nest in the maple, red oak, and London plane trees found in this area which is in close proximity to a the Vancouver’s West End, a high-density area of the  city, every year. The herons typically arrive in late February and early March and remain until late July or early August.  It is a special place where one can observe the courtship rituals and mating of herons, the building of their nests, and the parents caring for their fledglings. One quickly learns to appreciate how important preserving our environment is to wildlife. It is as much of a delight to sit back and observe these birds as it is to capture their beauty in action. For more information see Stanley Park Herons

I captured this image with a Nikon D7100 at a focal length of 300 mm, F4 with a shutter speed of 1/1250 sec and an ISO of 250. I am delighted to share that this image was published and awarded on the fine art photography website 1X.