Last year, I saw a lot of American White Pelicans at Lock & Dam #24 on the Mississippi River at Clarksville, Missouri. This year, I didn’t see a single pelican, but I did see this impressive Great Blue Heron. The bird was perched on the railing for the walkway that goes across the lock gates. I was outside a chain link fence, but I was able to get this shot in the gap between the two halves of a gate in the fence. I then went back to my car to get my stepstool so that I could shoot over the top of the fence and get a better sun angle. Right before I got back with my stepstool, two Corps of Engineers employees showed up in a cart, opened the gate and scared the bird away. “The nine scariest words in the English dictionary: ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.'” – Ronald Reagan
- Created Timestamp05/10/2025 09:57:50
- CameraNIKON D780
- Aperture6.3
- Focal Length460
- Iso400
- Shutter Speed1/1250
- Orientation1
I probably have more shots of GBH than any other Illinois birds – I just can’t help myself!