Heron Take-off Crouch

Heron Takeoff Crouch

Canon 400D, 100-400mm IS at 400mm, 1/640 at f/9.0, ISO 400

The northern end of Quilcene Bay on Washington's Olympic Peninsula is a low tide gathering place for herons, who shop around the shallows adjacent to the mud flats for a meal. It's springtime, and herons are carrying around their mating plumage, making for some great images. Just before they take off, there's a quick crouch for this big bird's launching spring that's really hard to catch with the shutter finger. This heron is in an early phase of the launch sequence, and the wings are just barely starting to open.