A shot on the side

Great Blue Heron  

The masters and great teachers of landscape and wildlife photography tell you in their books and blog posts, look to your side or to your back while shooting, sometimes the best opportunities may develop right beside or behind you. This happened yesterday while I was concentrating on the pelicans and how they caught the fish out of the river. This Great Blue Heron was actually sitting on a reeling at the lock for the boats that bypass the dam, not far from where the pelicans had their meal. Suddenly it was gone and while I still had my eye on the viewfinder of the camera the heron landed only a few yards away from me on this stone. The water level is still a little high and the stone is usually not in the water. The challenge for this image was to keep a big boat and the bridge over to Wisconsin out of the frame. The heron did what herons do, it stood almost motionless and stared at the water looking for fish. I made a few clicks but was still waiting for more. I hoped the bird would start preening or fluffing at least its feathers. And finally, after waiting for what seemed to be an eternity, it did me the favor! It is nice to see when everything comes together for a shot. The pelicans were still there and I continued watching their action. And yes, I looked to the sides, as I often do, you never know what comes next right beside you... ;-)