Great Blue Heron
I had the opportunity to drive into Yosemite National Park yesterday. I squared away my new annual pass and got some needed information for the coming weeks. (park entry reservations, road closures, etc.)
Winter in Yosemite can be a challenging pursuit but the rewards sometimes surprise you. Case in point, after driving around the valley, I found a pullout near the river, stopped grabbed my gear and headed gingerly over the icy berm. (Falling awhile carrying camera gear, not fun). I found a few photo opts but they were just OK. Then out of the corner of my eye, through the trees I saw a steel colored shape! It was this heron!
Scrambled back to the car, switched out my lens (Tamron 150-600mm) and tried to quietly sneak back down to a spot where I thought I could take a decent photo. This heron kept one eye on me the entire crunchy, slippery time down the embankment. He allow me to fire off a few good shots and then flew off when another family parked and explored near by.
Snapshots by Kats 