There are apparently, I know because I looked it up, 64 different species of Heron. As I have said many times in the past I am very ignorant of wildlife. Until my wife told me what it was it was that big skinny white bird- though its actually grey I think so I even got the colour (or shade if you will) wrong. So I know its a Heron but I can't say which of the 64 it is. I probably could Google it. I could but there is a reason I am ignorant to wildlife.
Anyway a Heron is what I was after. Something on the checklist. With my limited to photography equipment and skills that is what I got- finally. It was caught just by chance which makes a change. I have been after deer for so long and they mock me. Four times now I have seen deer and four times I have failed to capture them. The last time was a month or so ago when I was in the woods taking a photo of a bridge that I had taken many times and to my left out the corner of my eye I saw movement. I turned to see two young deer sneaking into bushes. Right in front of me. By the time I reacted they were gone. And so I expect the same of all wildlife and I accept that. Squirrels are obscured (see above) or silhouetted or both. Birds wait until I aim and leave before I focus. Other things scurry. This Heron seemed to be going along the same same way- a mocker.
This is about as close as I usually get. That is zoomed and cropped and still not much more than a speck. Down by the David Livingstone Memorial Bridge is where the Heron usually hangs out. This photo is taken from the bridge down the water. Its the only place I have ever seen it. Sometimes its here on the Bothwell side but mostly is further down on the Blantyre side.
While the kids were at school my wife and I went for a walk from the bridge to Bothwell castle. I've never never done it before. I've been about halfway along it but that is as far as I was able to go. This time I almost got there. I was disappointed not to get all the way there but it is a long path and I did at least see it- above is what I saw. And that was good enough for me. Time was getting on and we had to get back to pick the kids up from school.
It was my wife, as usual, who spotted the Heron while I was looking at something insignificant. I was quite a bit away and over the other side of the water so I knew it would take me a good minute or so just to get the shortest distance to it and even then we would be separated by a river. It seemed to be on the look out for something. It was on land just walking about and having a look as far as I could see. My worry was as always that by the time I got there it was gone. Birds seem to have a 6th sense for that type of thing. I have thrown a hundred curses in their direction just as they have flown out of sight as I fumbled with my camera.
This time though I got it. Not great but I got something. I tried to be as quiet as possible and move with as little movement as was possible. Oh how I longed for one of those big whopper lenses the wildlife guys use. Oh to be a photographic sniper and not have to do that dance. But I did dance and I did get it as I said. I felt I could get more but I was forgetting the big body of water in between and my lack of ability of walk on it was that was as close as I was getting.
And then it flew away. That was something I could have gotten had I been better prepared but believe it or not I was actually seeing how close to the water I could get without falling in thinking that it would somehow make a difference- like when I was chasing the moon. Of course it didn't help and it flew away and that was that.
Last night we decide to for a drive and ended up at Calderglen Country Park again. It gave us the opportunity to walk the last remaining path we had not walked and that proved to be a good choice as it was an enjoyable walk by the river with a few waterfalls and plenty of cascades. But straight away before we even got on the walk we passed the fire pond and I saw something. I had to look up what a fire pond was. It sounds like something fantastic and in an odd way it is- if you have a fire. It is a ready means of water to suppress a fire. Anyway I spotted something in the pond and pointed it out to my wife. She looked as her eyesight is way better than mine and she said: its a Heron.
As long as it didn't move I was going to get very close. Probably as close as I could possibly get without scaring it off. The fact it was behind a fence would help even if it was just a little wooden fence. That is what I hoped. I hoped it would not fly off before I got a shot. It didn't. To my surprise it stayed and I got a few shots. All good? Not all good. It had started to rain and light went with it. Its not a great photograph but its as good as its going to get for me with my limited rescources and I will tick Heron off the list.
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