Wakodahatchee Wetlands Herons in Love

December 18, 2021  •  Leave a Comment

Today was the start of a 4 day weekend for me, so I decided to get up at 5:15 am and head up to the Wakodahatchee Wetlands (Wako) to do some birding. Last time that I was there was back in March. I've been seeing a lot of photos of the Great Blue Heron couples nesting and wanted to go check it out for myself. I arrived just after 7 am and just as the sun was rising. 

The first thing that I saw as I was approaching the entrance to the boardwalk was an incoming Red Shoulder Hawk with breakfast. I've zoomed in on my photos and I'm pretty sure it was a frog. Anyway, it was a tough shooting situation, as I was looking straight up and it was still dark. As he swooped in and landed he was very loud and had a lot to say. It took it a few minutes for it to settle down and start eating. 

My main focus today was of the Great Blue Herons, but I found quite a variety of beautiful birds to photograph. My lens is almost not long enough to photograph the nests out in the middle of the water, but I have to make do with the gear I have. Technically not the greatest photos you will ever see. These 2 Herons are totally in love. The male constantly flies off searching for the next branch and then the female takes it and puts it where she wants in the nest. It's the most interesting thing to watch.

Another series of the same couple and with better lighting. I walked around and came back to their nest several times. Here are some more action and nest building photos.

I will put some of my other favorite images below, but I took nearly 900 photos today and over 60 made it into the gallery. You should go check it out: Wakodahatchee Wetlands Herons in Love Gallery

Just for humor, below is a shot I took of the humans with large lenses. I'm pretty sure these are some of the photographers posting those amazing photos I'm seeing online. I don't even know how the guy in the back holds that lens. I've seen him before at Green Cay too.


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