URBAN JUNGLE: HERONS & HERONRIES

The grey heron is one of my favourite bird species. They are handsome birds of superb elegance and are extraordinarily patient hunters. From January through to April, the herons are resplendent in their best breeding plumage, with long head plumes and deep orange/red, dagger-like bills. Herons are exceptionally wary birds and in the true wild, they are tremendously cautious and vigilant. It takes a great deal of skill and patience to creep up on a grey heron and it often requires a hide to capture close-up images.

Heronries

The one exception to this rule is when grey herons are breeding. They congregate at large nesting sites, in the tallest trees, close to a watercourse. These ‘heronries’ are great locations for photography as the birds are normally preoccupied with the necessities of reproduction. They are active all day courting mates, collecting nest-building material, and hunting. There will be a greater concentration of herons here than anywhere else during the year. Instead of trying to photograph a solitary bird, you will have the opportunity to photograph dozens of breeding pairs.

The task of photographing herons is even easier if you visit a park heronry which is busy with people. The two most popular sites in the South East are Regent’s Park, London, and Verulamium Park, St. Albans. At both locations, herons nest on islands in the middle of lakes, but are still within reach of a modest telephoto lens.

Where to go

In Regent’s Park, the task of photographing grey herons is particularly easy. Here, the herons are accustomed to being fed by people, just like ducks and swans. When I first visited, I was astounded by how close the herons were to people, given their reputation for wariness. A few local residents even feed the herons directly with fish. When this happens, you can witness a rarely seen spectacle - a human surrounded by a dozen adult grey herons.

Cold temperatures can lead to lethargy, so unless you are prepared, you can easily become uncomfortable and distracted. Make your comfort a priority. Always keep your head covered, wrap in good quality layers and take a hot drink and hand warmers.

To capture my grey heron images, I visited both Verulamium Park and Regent’s Park for a couple of days, always ensuring that I arrived early to enjoy the best of the crisp, bright mornings. Grey herons are very active during this time. They hunt around the water’s edge or fly in from local fields and meadows where they hunt for invertebrates and frogs.

With the sun coming over my shoulder and a 300mm lens at the ready, I managed to capture full frame images of these large birds in flight. They are quite slow in the air, giving you more time to prepare. With enough time, an SLR should easily lock on to a heron in flight.

Flight Shots

Typically, I will only take flight shots in bright or sunny conditions where I have a fast enough shutter speed to freeze-frame the action. On these sunny days with clear blue skies, the light is more or less constant so I set my exposure manually. Starting in Aperture Priority (Av) mode, I shoot a series of test exposures on f/5.6 – f/8 and review the histogram. Then I switch to Manual mode and enter the best exposure setting and periodically review the images if I sense the light levels changing. If you are shooting on film, then you can either use an external light meter, or take a spot reading from a midtone object such a rock, tree bark, or midtone green grass. With the exposure set manually, you can shoot away without worrying about compensating for different backgrounds - just as long as the subject doesn’t pass though any shadows.

With the exposure set, prepare yourself to react quickly to any bird taking off or coming into land. Herons are great subjects to practice flight photography so here are a few tips:

Focus on birds that are further away as they will be smaller in the viewfinder, allowing more room for manoeuvre.
The longer you are able to keep the subject in the centre of the viewfinder, the easier it will be for the camera’s autofocus system to lock-on.
A few seconds of clear tracking may be needed.
As the subject comes closer, your camera should have a lock-on for you to take a sequence of shots.

Grey herons against a blue sky are great, but watch out for distracting twigs and branches. Unless they are in context, such as a heron retuning to its nest with twigs, they can ruin the shot. Photographing herons as they fly in front of golden willow trees or reed beds can produce vibrant images with a great sense of habitat and environment.

Nesting Birds

Nesting herons are great for behavioural images, although it can be difficult to get a great shot. They are normally obscured by twigs and branches and the elevated angle is unappealing. If you find a clear view, it is worth exploring as many possibilities as you can. There is always great interaction when herons meet, so wait for the adult herons to return to the nest with building material or food for their young. Herons often call to each other as they come to land on the nest. I am confident this is to ensure they have the right nest, so use the call as an indicator to where the heron is going to land. Then be prepared to track and pan with the herons as they depart the nest and fly away.

Regent's Park

Regent’s Park is one of the best places in the UK to observe and photograph herons. However, if you are a professional photographer you will need a permit that costs over £280+VAT per 4 hours. If Royal Park staff or the constabulary observe you with a big lens and tripod, they WILL stop you and ask your purpose. However, for an amateur, it is simply heron heaven.

Once I had received my permit, I entered the park armed with my bag of whitebait and looked for a group of herons. I arrived early as this is a very busy location with joggers, dog walkers, day-trippers, and families. In spite of the hustle and bustle, the herons did not seem bothered in the slightest. I quickly found several herons standing underneath a willow collecting nest material.

Always avoid walking directly at the herons as they will usually take flight. Instead, tempt them towards you with a food offering. I approached the water’s edge, making sure I looked out to a clear background and threw out a few silvery fish. The bright flash of silver was enough to grab their attention and one-by-one they flew over to queue for a handout. Every so often they returned to their nests to feed partners or young and promptly returned. Within a couple of hours, I had a sack-load of great images including close-up facial portraits and profiles, full-body, take-off, flight, nesting, and landing shots.

A rather smelly drawback was handling the fish. I set my camera on a tripod so that I could take a shot and position the camera with just one hand. With the other hand in a disposable glove, I tossed out the whitebait to the herons, only touching the camera when absolutely necessary. After this rather fishy session, make sure you clean you camera thoroughly with alcohol wipes. If you know any willing volunteers, it pays to take somebody to feed the herons, just to keep your gear from becoming encrusted with fish slime!