Great Blue Heron, Old Hickory Lake

I captured this image last year on a beautiful, sunny day on the small peninsula where the Heron Rookery sits along Old Hickory Lake. I haven't visited the Rookery this year as the land it was setting on was sold and an absolutely humongous house is being built on the property. I had permission from the old owners to frequent the Rookery, but I will need to gain permission from the new owners. Perhaps in the Summer or Fall I'll be able to do that. Right now the house is under construction. I loved this image as it was the perfect profile shot of the Heron. I hope your weekend is going well. Weekends seem to fly by these days. Very hot day and storms tonight here. Perhaps tomorrow it will be a tad cooler. ENJOY!

Egrets, Egrets & More Egrets

Oddly enough, at the beginning of Spring Great Blue Herons seemed to occupy the majority of the nests at the Heron Rookery on Old Hickory Lake, along with a few Black Cormorants and Black Crowned Night Herons, and nary a Great White Egret. Fast forward to this week and it's all about the Great White Egrets. They were plentiful at the rookery.

The Egrets were busy flying in and out and in and out of the rookery. And at times creating havoc as they flew in. I'm guessing this guy didn't have clearance from the tower for this landing.

I love to photograph these gorgeous birds as they are so regal looking with their solid white physiques. Hope your week is going well. It's a balmy 81 with virtually no humidity tonight here in Tennessee and I am super happy about it. ENJOY!

Out of the Nest

The Black Crowned Night Heron juveniles were out of the nest when I visited the Heron Rookery on Old Hickory Lake today. This little guy was hanging out at the nearby boat dock with three other juveniles.

Sorry this image is so busy, but I just had to show you the other three juveniles hanging out on the boat dock. I wonder exactly when they begin to turn colors as adults. I'll have to look that up. Thankfully, I didn't have to get close to get this image as I had my long lens on my camera.

Later on one of the juveniles flew up into a nearby tree. The afternoon sun was getting low in the sky making for a really nice warm shot. I wished I could have been there when these little guys fledged the nest. All four of the juveniles looked to be a few months old at best. The parents were in the large Heron Rookery sitting on branches not far away and really didn't seem to care what the kiddos were up to. These last two weekends in Tennessee have been fantastic with temperatures in the mid eighties and lots of sunshine and blue skies. Oh, how I wished it would last. Hope you are having a great weekend. ENJOY!

Oh Baby! Oh Baby!

The story at the Heron Rookery on Old Hickory Lake, just a short distance from where I live, goes something like this. First comes the nest building. Then there's the tending to the nest. The flying in and out bringing twigs and building up the nest. The flying in and out to drop an occasional bite to eat. Or just the occasional flying in and out for no reason.

After much ado about the making or tidying up of the nest, then comes the waiting game. Sitting on the nest. Standing by the nest. Waiting patiently for something to happen at the nest.

And finally, after many many weeks, the eggs hatch, the parents fly in and out and in and out feeding and tending to the little ones. To our amazement they grow like weeds and before too long, they are almost ready to fledge. Oh, and did I mention it's getting just a tad crowded in the nest too.

At long last, Dad is patiently waiting on the lawn for the fledging. This is the life. It's not just the life for Great Blue Herons either. It's the life for Black Crowned Night Herons, black Cormorants and Great White Egrets. All roosting together as a colony in one huge tree right on the waters edge. Yes, the rookery was a busy spot a few weeks ago when I visited. I didn't see any fledgings on the lawn, but perhaps there have been some since. Perhaps I will pay a visit soon. The weekend is coming and bringing much rain with it. Wherever you are, I wish for you bright sunshine, blue skies and fluffy white clouds. ENJOY!

'Nesting' Black Crowned Night Herons

A visit to the Heron Rookery on Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville Sunday afforded me a plethora of species of birds. Since I rarely get more than a glimpse of a Black Crowned Night Heron, I thought I would post images of them first. They were very busy flying in and out of the rookery. In this image, you can see the late afternoon sun casting its golden glow.

This Heron Rookery never ceases to amaze me with the different species that nest together in one large tree along the shoreline. I wonder have you ever tried to capture a Black Crowned Night Heron in flight? It's not like photographing a Great Blue Heron. They move much much slower than Night Herons. Night Herons fly much faster as they are not nearly as large a bird as their Great Blue Heron cousins. One never knows when you snap an image of one in flight, if it's even viable, but on this day I got very lucky.

I had trouble differentiating the leaves and tree branches from the Black Crowned Night Herons. The Great Blues stick out more as they are bigger, but the Night Herons being so small blend in. I snapped an image of a Great Blue Heron standing on a nest only to realize later that this Black Crowned Night Heron was sitting on its nest right below it.

Today there were Great Blue Herons, Black Crowned Night Herons, Cormorants and Great White Egrets flying all about the Heron Rookery, not to mention Barn Swallows and Canadian Geese. What a plethora and a pleasure to be in the company of such great species and able to photograph them. I will share Great Blue Heron images in a post soon. I hope you had a wonderful weekend. We finally, as you can see from these images, had a beautiful day Sunday with blue skies and low temperatures in the 70's. It was wonderful. ENJOY!

A Day at the Heron Rookery

It was a beautiful day with bright sunshine, blue skies and fluffly white clouds. There was, however, a crisp wind cutting through you as you stood outdoors. Nevertheless, it was a perfect day for viewing the Great Blue Herons perched on their nests at the Heron Rookery on Old Hickory Lake. I ate lunch in the car and finally got out to snap a few images of the Herons flying around the Rookery. Then it was back to work.

There must have been twenty Great Blue Herons hanging out in their roosts while others flew in and out. One can only get so close and then you must stop so as not to disturb them.

I stood away from the Rookery capturing images as the birds flew in and out of their nests. There was no evidence really of nest building. I suppose it's still a tad early for that. I'm almost certain there are a lot more nests than what I recall seeing at this time last year.

Several Great Blue Herons flew down the lake and back as I captured images.

I recall capturing images of some of the first hatchlings out of the nest in late Spring last year. I wonder if some of the Herons I saw today were those same birds as young adults. Surely.

More visits are planned in the weeks ahead as Spring approaches. In all honesty, Tennessee hasn't had Winter here at all this year. I can only assume Winter is still to come. We always get a snowfall or two and perhaps even an ice storm. I hope you enjoyed my visit to the Rookery today. ENJOY!

Bird's Eye View

As I photographed the Herons at the Rookery a few weeks ago, I captured this image of a Heron flying over the area. Hope your having a great week. Back soon. ENJOY!

Late May at the Rookery

As the sun began to fall low in the sky, the Herons in the Rookery on Old Hickory Lake, continued to fly in and out of the trees. As I peered up into the Rookery, although the leaves were fully out on the tree, I could make out countless Herons in all shapes and sizes. Keeping their privacy in mind, I stayed away from the Rookery itself, but decided to walk under a smaller tree nearby which stood away from the rookery. Not realizing I scared up several Black Crowned Night Herons in the tree. One flew up into the Rookery, while the other flew up on top of a shorter tree near the Rookery. I moved just close enough not to make the Heron fly away and snapped these images.

In spite of the wind picking up, the Heron kept a firm grip on the branch and stayed put. There must have been twenty birds in the Rookery, not to mention several Herons flying in and out, with one flying in carrying a huge twig. More nest building going on. Amazing! I am not certain how long into the year the courtships and nest building goes on, but my best guess would be that it will come to a close soon as the hot days of Summer are fast approaching. I did take note that the juveniles I could make out in the nests had grown to a good foot or more. It bears mentioning here that I did not adjust the color on these images. The blue hour was upon me and very evident in the images I captured. It bears mentioning I broke out the Summer header today. With the exception of this week, the weather here in Tennessee has felt more like August. This week the temps dropped like a rock, but they are bouncing back and fast. So incredibly happy it is the weekend. A major deadline is nearly behind me and I am so relieved. Everyone have a wonderful weekend. ENJOY!

Out of the Nest

One of the many juvenile Great Blue Herons who have called the Heron Rookery on Old Hickory Lake their home this Spring is finally out of the nest. He has to make his way in the world. Can you imagine? As he stood motionless for probably half an hour, his parents stood close guard over him, both Mom and Dad. Finally, he flew off. I love his scruffy headed look. It's as though he just got up out of bed. And in some ways he had. He only stood about a foot tall in comparison to his 3 foot tall parents. We kept our distance from the threesome so as not to scare him or them. The rookery was a busy place with Egrets, and Black Crowned and Great Blues coming and going. ENJOY!

Heron Fly By

One of the many images I captured this past weekend during my workshop. It was a complete success and the ladies enjoyed the Heron Rookery immensely as did I. If I only knew what this guy was saying to me as he flew by, but sadly I don't speak heron. You have to admit though, he is a beauty. As were all of the Great Blue Herons, and there were quite a few, over on an adjacent peninsula near the shoreline. Apparently, some fishermen had scared them out of their nests when they pulled up right under the rookery. Fortunately, they pulled out shortly after we arrived and we made sure to keep a safe distance from the rookery so as not to disturb the families. ENJOY!

Heron Hotel

After several failed attempts, due to weather, I was finally able to hold the Bird Photography Workshop today. The weather could not have been more perfect. The temperature was in the low 80's and there was a nice breeze that seemed to pick up as the day went on. It goes without saying photo after photo after photo was taken in and around Old Hickory Lake. We photographed Great Blue Herons, Great White Egrets, Black Crowned Night Herons, Canadian Geese, Goslings, Mallards, Osprey, and well, you get the picture.

At our last stop at Lock 4 Park in Gallatin, just north of Hendersonville on Old Hickory Lake, I captured this image of the Heron Rookery. This rookery totally escaped my mind until Martha, a charming lady in the workshop, pointed it out to me. At the Heron Rookery in Hendersonville, watching the ladies in the workshop snapping photos was a lot of fun. They had a great time capturing images of an immature Great Blue Heron standing her the shoreline while its Mom and Dad were on guard not too far away. Great company and a great time was had by all. I wanted to share this particular image as every time I see it it reminds me of a hotel what with the various levels of heron nests, hence, the name the Heron Hotel. Hope you are having a great weekend and the weather is cooperative wherever you are. ENJOY!

Spring Mating

Standing a good distance away from the Heron Rookery yesterday, I couldn't quite make out a bird sitting on a nest high up in the tree. My binoculars were on the fritz which didn't help either. I did see several Great Blue Herons in various nests. And to my surprise, I saw one pair of Great White Egrets. I had only seen one or two Egrets so far this year and very intermittently. Now I know why. They have been busy breeding and now obviously were in the middle of a remodeling project.

When I finally dropped these images into my software, I discovered the illusive bird or birds, in this case, were a pair of Black Crowned Night Herons sitting on the nest. I wasn't sure where this species normally built their nests. I also wasn't sure if they nested near Great Blue Herons or Great White Egrets. Mystery solved. I believe this pair of smaller Herons set up shop in the past week as there was no evidence of them on my last visit. There also weren't any Egrets present. Busy rookery to say the least. Mating, breeding, nest building. Amazing.

It was simply a gorgeous day today, albeit the temps were in the high 70's, Thankfully, the humidity hasn't found its way to Tennessee as yet. A nice breeze was blowing. The sky was blue with the occasional white fluffy cloud. Great weather and beautiful birds busy with the task at hand. I can only hope when a few of these fledglings are ready to leave the nest, I can capture a few images. In the meantime, I hope you have a wonderful weekend. We have two full days of sunshine and warm temperatures ahead. Finally, a weekend with absolutely no rain. Miracles never cease. ENJOY!

Lanceleaf Spring Beauty

Every now and then I come across a wildflower that I am not very familiar with. In this case, it was this little beauty. As it turns out that is its name, Spring Beauty or Lanceleaf Spring Beauty. It's Western North American cousin is called Western Spring Beauty.

This dainty little wildflower grows very early in Spring sprouting up through the soil from last Fall's leftovers. In this case, it had peeked up through the grass on the lawn near the water's edge of Old Hickory Lake. I noticed it as I stood capturing images of the Heron Rookery. It really doesn't matter to me what color, shape or size, I am a wildflower lover. I took a few days break from work and am out and about. Perhaps I will take some new images to show you. Back soon. ENJOY!

Nest Building 101, Heron Rookery

It's nest building time at one of the Heron Rookeries I discovered situated along Old Hickory Lake today just as the light was beginning to wane and clouds were moving in.

This particular rookery is situated on one side of an inlet in a residential neighborhood about a mile from my home. A large tree sits right at the tip of the inlet jutting out into the lake. The area is a public area with a drive that goes back a short distance. Staying an appropriate amount of distance away from the rookery, I snapped images using my 300 mm lens. Counting a good twenty nests in the large tree, there were at least eight or ten of those that looked as though they could have current residents.

This is the first rookery I could walk up to and while I wanted to get closer, I did not want to stress out any of the nesting birds. The Herons flew in and out of the nests as I stood for about twenty minutes watching them. Only this particular Heron seemed serious about his nest building duties.

I noticed a nest on the adjacent tip of the inlet in a large tree there also. It was the only nest in the tree. Soon the leaves will be sprouting and views of the Rookery will be obscured. I love watching the Herons flying in and out. Such majestic birds and the first image is my favorite. Just look at the detail.

After a stressful week, this was a wonderful way to end it. I also stopped at Drakes Creek to capture a few images of a Black Crowned Night Heron that I have been watching as it habitually perches in one particular tree along the creek. I just happen to catch him there late today and stopped for five minutes to snap his portrait. I'll post those images next week. Finally, decent weather for photography! Yippee. Thank you Mother Nature. ENJOY!

Heron Rookery, Old Hickory Lake

Two days ago Nashville was covered in a sheet of ice and four inches of snow. Then the weather heard our pleas and today as the temperature rose to almost 60 degrees, the ice and snow melted. I just had to get out and take a quick drive. I had been wanting to visit Old Hickory Lake so off I went. Old Hickory is north of my new digs. I had read that Shutes Branch Recreation Area on the lake was great for bird watching. As I approached the area, there were numerous sailboats, fishing boats and kayakers out on the lake.

One of the reasons I wanted to come to Shutes Branch was to see the Heron Rookery. The rookery sits on an island across from the parking lot at Shutes Branch and as luck would have it it was clearly visible, albeit at a distance.

At first I attempted to count the Herons and then I realized there were just too many. There were Herons flying in, flying out, sitting on their nests. You name it there were Herons doing it. Keep in mind that these images show only a partial view of the rookery. Sorry for the quality as I had to crop these to get a better view of some of the Herons on their nests.

I took a few images of one of the Herons fishing off the shore on Shutes Branch.

Have I mentioned that since I moved to Tennessee it has been bitterly cold with sleet, freezing rain and ice, not to mention several snowfalls. If I didn't know better, I would swear I brought Kentucky's weather with me. And I might also mention how happy I was not to be in Kentucky this week as they got anywhere from 17 to 24 inches of snow. Tomorrow we move the clocks forward one hour. Spring arrives March 20th. I can't wait. ENJOY!