Heron in Flight (best viewed larger)

Excellent timing, rare catch. Kempenfelt?

Hi Len,

  Beautiful action shot with wonderful colors & perfect timing.  Take care, Patsy

Good shot.  I suspect he was giving his raucous cry at the same time... Mike

This location is within the city limits but about a mile or two west of Kempenfelt Bay.  I'll be your guide should you ever get to Barrie again with some time to spare.  Thanks for your interest.  Best, Len.

Always nice to get a visit from you.  Thanks for your thoughts on this little treasure of mine.  The 200mm kit lens is fine for shots of birds this size, especially if you like to show a bit of the surroundings for context.  Best, Len.

A 'raucous' cry?  No, that would have been me protesting his departure.  I had arrived at this location, quickly becoming a favourite of mine, around 9AM and slowly walked the length of the boardwalk (a few hundred feet) and back having seen only a lone turtle basking in the morning sun and a few still sleepy & unresponsive ducks.  I met an older lady going in the opposite direction and, condescendingly, asked her if she'd seen the painted turtle basking on a log a few feet away.  "Oh, yes" she said & proceeded to point out 3 or 4 others my 'trained' photographer's eyes had missed.  "And did you see the heron?"  she asked.  "Where?", I said, now feeling a bit foolish having missed the turtles.  "There!" she said, pointing to a clearly visible area about 50 feet from the boardwalk.  I quickly swallowed the piece of humble pie I was now chewing on, thanked this 'amateur' naturalist, & began photographing the bird I'd walked past twice. After a few minutes I got the feeling the heron was becoming uneasy at my close proximity & sure enough he decided to take leave.  But not before I got a couple of very satisfying shots.  Live & learn!  :-)  Best, Len