Hunt for Herons

With camera in hand, this birder is on a mission around the world.

By Jason Stuck, Los Angeles, California

I've never met a heron that my camera didn't like. It's true. I've been photographing birds for 2 years, and no matter what herons are doing, they exude majesty and grace.

In fact, these birds have impressed me so much that I decided to do something about it. Last fall, I gave myself the assignment of photographing all the herons (Ardeidae family) of the world. I felt this would help me develop my skills as a photographer while exposing more people to these amazing birds.

Hooked from the Beginning

I remember the first time I saw a heron through my camera lens a couple of years ago. I was at Bolsa Chica, one of my favorite places to watch birds around Huntington Beach, near Los Angeles. I came across a snowy egret hidden in some greenery about 20 yards away and was instantly mesmerized.

As it preened itself, its plumes gently waved in the breeze, and it plucked an occasional downy feather, which then floated delicately in midair. It was a beautiful sight.

As I photographed more birds from the heron family, I noticed that they all possessed the same amazing qualities. It didn't matter whether these birds were wading through mucky water or gulping down a fish-they were gorgeous in photos.

It was around that time that I gave myself the heron assignment. A few months later, I was off to Florida, eager to start checking birds off my list.

Out of the 62 birds on my list, 12 are common in the United States, and all of those visit Florida. My girlfriend, Carol, and I flew to Miami during March. We planned to spend 10 days in southern Florida, watching birds in popular spots like the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Everglades National Park, Anhinga Trail and the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center, among others.

One of our most successful stops was the J.N. "Ding" Darling refuge. The center's 6,300 acres provide important feeding, nesting and roosting grounds for more than 220 species of birds.

Beauty and Personality

During our time at the refuge, we saw a number of interesting birds, including a western sandpiper, lesser yellowlegs, snowy egret, willet, semipalmated plower and short-billed dowitcher. While watching a spotted sandpiper one morning, a reddish egret flew in to feed. We were excited, since it was the first one of our trip!

The bird was really entertaining to watch. It would stop for a brief moment, spot a fish, and then take off running after it. After 10 or 15 yards, it stopped again to look around.

The heron kept repeating this, sometimes with a flap or two of its wings before it stopped again. Occasionally, the bird was successful, but it seemed like the effort-to-eat ratio was poor compared to its relatives.

With each heron we spotted on our trip, we were as equally excited to see it up close and get a photograph. When all was said and done in Florida, I captured 11 herons with my camera, including the reddish, tricolored, little blue, green and great egret. I did miss the least bittern and Wurdemann's heron, but overall, I considered the trip a success.

So I have 11 down and 51 more to go to meet my goal. What's my next stop? Madagascar, here I come!

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