WINTER HERONS & EXTRAS

Grey heron (gråhegre)

D4, 200-400 4,0, f/4,0, 1/400, ISO 500

I know it`s a silly thing to have "favorite birds", but if I had to state a favorite bird I think it would have been herons, and especially the European grey heron (Ardea cinerea). Why ? Hard to say actually, but I think it appeals so much to me because it is beautiful & grotesque at the same time, it is shy and (very) hard to approach, it inhabits exciting wetlands or is often perched in old, tortuous trees and it screams chilling noises into black, bewitching night waterscapes.

My respected wife however, claims to know that my fascination for herons is because I look like one myself (!!!). I never asked her face to face what she really means by this peculiar statement (… probably because I`m afraid to have an honest answer), but I do have this little, funny feeling that is has something to do with my "athletic looking legs" & my "slim looking" neck.

OK, it is what it is…. and herons are beautiful birds, aren`t they ??

The pictures are shot around Lake Csaj, Hungary, in January. Hope you like `em !!  

Grey heron (gråhegre)

D4, 200-400 4,0, f/5,0, 1/160, ISO 800

Grey herons (gråhegre) in late evening light

D4, 200-400 4,0, f/4,5, 1/160, ISO 900

Grey heron (gråhegre)

D4, 600 4,0, f/5,0, 1/160, ISO 640

Grey heron (gråhegre)

D4, 600 4,0, f/4,5, 1/500, ISO 560 

Grey heron (gråhegre)

D4, 200-400 4,0, f/4,5, 1/800, ISO 1400

Grey herons fighting (gråhegre)

D4, 200-400 4,0, f/4,5, 1/1600, ISO 1100

Grey heron chasing egret heron
D4, 70-200 2,8, F/2,8, 1/1600, ISO 720

Grey heron (gråhegre)

D4, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/250, ISO 800

Grey heron (gråhegre)

D4, 200-400 4,0, f/4,0, 1/200, ISO 4500

Grey heron (gråhegre)

 D4, 200-400 4,0, f/4,0, 1/200, ISO 2000

Cormorant (storskarv)

D4, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/800, ISO 3600

Cormorant (storskarv)

D4, 600 4,0, f/5,6, 1/800, ISO 2500

Cormorant with catfish (storskarv med malle)

D4, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/640, ISO 7200

Cormorants (storskarv)

D4, 200-400 4,0, f/4,0, 1/1250, ISO 5600

Cormorant (storskarv)

D4, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/125, ISO 1400 

My first shot ever on Pygmy cormorant (dvergskarv)

D4, 600 4,0, f/6,3, 1/250, ISO 1100

European kingfisher (isfugl)

D4, 200-400 4,0, f/4,0, 1/400, ISO 1800

European kingfisher (isfugl)

D4, 200-400 4,0, f/5,0, 1/125, ISO 1250

Juvenile whitetailed eagle … and magpies

D4, 200-400 4,0, f/4,0, 1/250, ISO 1800

Juvenile whitetailed eagle

D4, 600 4,0, f/5,0, 1/200, ISO 2000

"NIGHT HERONS" / "NATTHEGRER"

D4, 200-400 4,0, f/4,0, 1/20, ISO 3200

No, these are NOT night herons, these are GREY HERONS, but the pictures are all shot at night time …. on feeding & sleeping Hungarian herons. The pictures come with extensive use of artificial lighting, cold light as backlight & warmer & softer light up front, and some of the situations also benefit from the heaviest rain ever recorded in the last Hungarian decade (!). I wanted to post a couple of these "night herons" together with other stuff from Hungary, …. but in the end I could not choose between them, 

so these are all exclusively : night shots.

Hope you like them. 

The other stuff will hopefully come later.

Thanks to Bence Matè for help, inspiration & great company during 7 days & 7 nights of intense photographic work.

D4, 200-400 4,0, f/4,0, 1/20, ISO 2500 

D4, 200-400 4,0, f/4,0, 1/6, ISO 3200 

D4, 200-400 4,0, f/4,0, 1/5, ISO 1800

D4, 200-400 4,0, f/4,0, 1/25, ISO 1000 

Grey heron catching a flopping fish

D4, 200-400 4,0, f/4,0, 1/13, ISO 6400

D4, 200-400 4,0, f/4,0, 1/25, ISO 1250

D4, 200-400 4,0, f/4,0, 1/25, ISO 5000 

D4, 70-200 2,8, f/2,8, 1/25, ISO 4500

D4, 70-200 2,8, f/2,8, 1/60, ISO 320

D4, 200-400 4,0, f/4,0, 1/20, ISO 400

D4, 200-400 4,0, f/4,0, 1/30, ISO 900

Grey heron holding a flopping fish

D4, 200-400 4,0, f/4,0, 1/15, ISO 1800

Two grey herons & one white egret …. sleeping the night off.

D4, 70-200 2,8, f/2,8, 1/25, ISO 1000

Early morning situation with a mix of warm artificial lighting & cold natural light.

D4, 200-400 4,0, f/4,0, 1/160, ISO 4000