A Little Tricolor Love
Tricolored Herons nest low, mostly in mangroves, which places them, amazingly, delightfully, close to the boardwalks at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm rookery. Some are literally within reach of a long arm, and all are certainly within reach of your average P&S zoom. Tourists love them. I (while not admitting to being a tourist) always come back with lots of Tricolor shots, so this will be a bit more than a Pic of the Day…kind of a Tricolored Heron retrospective.
It is well to remember that, while taken in what amounts to a zoo, these are wild birds, attracted to what is apparently in their eyes, an ideal nesting site. They are not fed, managed, caged, clipped, or manipulated in any way. They are free and fully wild. While they might be habituated to close human presence on the boardwalk, they are not tame. That is the real wonder of the Alligator Farm rookery.
All shots were taken with the Canon SX20IS on my most recent day at the Alligator farm. All were taken at equivalent focal lengths of 520-560mm, @ f5.7 on programmed auto with –1.3EV exposure compensation. Shutter speeds and ISOs varied as the camera set them, with ISOs ranging from 100-320. All received similar processing in Lightroom. Basic Presence adjustments, Blackpoint and White Balance on the two in the shade, and the Sharpen landscape preset.
And finally, a bit of video, also shot with the Canon SX20IS.
Gotta love those Tricolored Herons! Gotta love the Alligator Farm.
Pic of the Day 