The Many Shapes of Great Blue Herons

I love how Great Blue Herons can assume so many different shapes.


The S-curve is my very favorite.


This is a modified, angular S-curve


With his necked fully tucked, you would never know just how long this bird can get!


Sometimes, a heron can look more like an Ostrich!


And at times, Great Blue Herons actually appear more red than blue!


This heron fished from inside a boat - and caught a little something!
He looks pretty happy to me.


Most of the time, I get lousy shots of Great Blue Herons. This picture was taken the day after I went to Charles's pond.


These last two were taken from the woods near Salem End Road bridge in Framingham. In the old days, I would have been happy just to see a GBH.


This was taken last week at Amputee Veterans Park on Lake Cochituate. The Great Blue Heron and a family of Mallards took off as I approached.


This was the best I could get today, at the same location. In my defense, I have had little time for birding or photography this month. But I will keep searching for Great Blues whenever I can!

Autumn Colors in Framingham

The day after my exciting encounter with Charles's Great Blue Heron, I didn't get a single decent image in the morning. When I went to Farm Pond in the afternoon, I had a little better luck shooting pictures of gulls. I was still a little disappointed, though, because I was light-years away from taking spectacular photos like I had the day before. On the other hand it was a beautiful day, especially with the water sparkling and shimmering in every direction. These images illustrate the beautiful nature of Framingham on a late autumn day.


Late autumn colors reflected in the lily-pads at Farm Pond.


The bright yellow leaves shine like gold in the afternoon sun.


A Monet interpretation of Farm Pond in Framingham, Massachusetts.


This office building was once a factory. The golden light makes it appear magical.


Even the commuter rail looks gorgeous when reflected in the lake!


Only a couple trees are hanging onto their leaves. It was almost 70 degrees last Sunday, but winter is really only a heartbeat away!

Gulls and Swans at Farm Pond, Framingham

The day after I had the up close encounter with the Great Blue Heron at Charles's lake, I went to Farm Pond in Framingham in the afternoon. No exotic ducks or herons in boats, but quite a few gulls were around.


Ring-billed gulls outnumbered all other species that day.


I managed quite a few shots of the gulls in flight.


I took pictures from all angles!


This one appears to be kicking his feet with joy, right?


The lines in the water make a great backdrop for this gull as he is tiptoeing over the water.


Wing tips up, tail flap down for takeoff!


An artistic rendering of the gulls reflected in the glass-like surface of the pond.


The Farm Pond gatehouse dates back to the 19th century when Farm Pond was part of the earliest aqueduct system providing water to the city of Boston.


Thanks to Corvid01 (a photographer featured in one of my Best New England Bird Photograph Galleries), I learned that the small dark swan in the center is a juvenile/1st fall mute swan in dark plumage. Now, that is a cool sighting, right?