Strange Black Crowned Night Heron

Posted by Jimmy G on Wed Aug 27, 2003 9:11 pm

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I took this today a Sunken Meadow State Park this one caught my eye because it looks different than any other juvenile Black Crowned Night Heron I have ever seen. The coloring is different as is the head shape and the bill has anyone ever saw one that looks like this.

Canon 1D 500mm f4 2x, tripod ball head sidekick leveling head, Manual exposure using incident meter 1/500 @ f10, Manual expose.

James A Galletto

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by Heather Forcier on Wed Aug 27, 2003 9:28 pm

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Great striped patterns on the bird and ripples in the water. The subtle changes in hue of the background add something to this, too. There is a little plant at the right bottom that I guess could be considered distracting, but the truth is I was so focused on the lovely bird that I didn't notice it for a while. Not sure if that makes it a distraction or not.

I have really been enjoying your photos.

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by Rich S on Thu Aug 28, 2003 6:34 am

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Love the pose and the background. Only thing I'm conflicted about is the reflection. If it all were blurred or all were sharp, I think that might work better than the sharp to indistinct, but it looks like you've done the best job with the hand dealt.

Rich

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by Brett B. on Thu Aug 28, 2003 7:22 am

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I like this a lot. The modeled background colors compliment the bird perfectly. My only nit would be the amount of space above the bird. I think I would crop a bit off the top to bring the bird's head up in the frame.

As for the bird's identity, I think it may actually be a 'Yellow'-Crowned Night Heron. I have seen several adults up close and the profile of this bird is strikingly similar.

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by Wil Hershberger on Thu Aug 28, 2003 9:50 am

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Terrific shot. Lovely.

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by Peter May on Thu Aug 28, 2003 10:17 am

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A tedhnically excellent and aesthetically pleasing shot, as seems to be the norm for Mr. G. Re identity: I've heard a rule of thumb for distinguishing immature BC and YC night herons, but can't vouch for its absolute reliability. If it has yellow in the lower mandible, it's a black-crowned, and if the entire beak is black, its a yellow-crowned. That would make this one a BC, though it is standing pretty tall, giving something of the profile I associate with YC's.

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by Anthony Medici on Thu Aug 28, 2003 5:30 pm

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I couldn't identify it if you paid me. I can appreciate the fine photo. Good work. I agree with Heather, I can't decide about the bottom right.

Tony

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by AbieBorker on Thu Aug 28, 2003 9:26 pm

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Leg length is another key difference in BC v YC, how deep was that water? If/When he flew, did the legs come far past the tail?

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by Robert Kemmerlin on Fri Aug 29, 2003 11:25 am

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Sibley agrees with Peter, the yellow bill makes it a BCNH. By the way, great shot, love the reflection.

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by Paul Fusco on Fri Aug 29, 2003 10:36 pm

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Jimmy -

I think the shape of the bill is more consistant with YC, as is the leg length. Usually if the lower bill is mostly yellow its a BC, and BCs have heavier spots on the back.

Whichever it is, its a nice shot!

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