London offers some great opportunities for the wildlife photographer with its huge green spaces and abundance of lakes. I recently took a trip to the south, mainly to photograph the deer rut in the Royal Parks but was faced with an abundance of bird photo opportunities. The weather was kind for a change with some great autumn light to play with. I will post a selection of photos over a number of posts but will start with a bird that I often associate with our capital city, the grey heron. Grey herons are usually very wary but have become accustomed to people in the city allowing for some very close encounters.
Perched in a willow tree on the edge of a lake.
Those long legs always allow that annoying itch to be scratched.
I had a very close encounter with one bird. 
The heron stalked through the shadows of the lake margin hunting fish, using the available cover to good effect. It was fascinating to watch how the head is held perfectly still while the body moves. There are certainly lessons in patience and stealth that the bird photographer can learn from herons.
The strike on the fish came with lighting speed. 
The perch didn't stand a chance and this spiney fish was quickly handled before being swallowed head first.
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4 comments:
Great shots, especially the last one, well captured!
Paul.
Beautiful series...the last one is a incredible catch for both the heron and you
Hey... incredible shots really!!! I'm an animal lover too... dogs have acquired a big corner of my heart. I love fish, birds, wild animals.... and on and on...
You are doing a great job dude!
Can we exchange links?
Many thanks for the comments. It was a real pleasure to spent some time in close proximity to herons and watch the whole capture of the fish from beginning to end.
Cheers
Rich
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