Sunday 11 May 2014

#529 In the field: Brookgreen Gardens aviary . . . Great Blue Heron


Start this series with  #522,  April 16, 2014.  http://www.brookgreen.org

The Brookgreen cedar swamp aviary has several species of birds in residence including the
Black-crowned Night Heron,  Snowy Egret, Cattle Egret, White Ibis, and Great Blue Heron.
Below, is a photo of a Snowy Egret and a Great Blue Heron.



During my stay at Brookgreen in South Carolina last month, I spent many hours photographing, sketching,
and observing the birds in the enclosed aviary environment  . . .  it was a bird artist's dream!
The birds were used to humans and could be relied upon to carry on with their habits
such as preening, feeding,  resting, nesting, socializing, etc. in a natural manner.

Below, sketching in the aviary . . . Black-crowned Night Herons in the foreground. . . Great Blue's not visible.



This blog focuses on images of the Great Blue Heron:  The bird is enormous - 6 to 7 foot wingspan - and is one of my favorite subjects.  The long, decorative feathers on the head and neck present beautiful and elegant components
for the artist to design with.  They are a shy bird and stayed hidden most of the many hours I spent in the aviary.
I persevered and was able to photograph and sketch the graceful creature on several occasions . . .
mostly early morning and late afternoon.

Below, are sketches and photos of the magnificent Great Blue Heron.






















To learn more about the subjects in this blog go to the links below.

For a complete list of  the blog subjects go to the Index Page and
type the subject in the Search This Blog link on right.


Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish



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