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Prehistoric Prints

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The majestic great blue heron is one of my favorite animals, and I'm constantly on the lookout for them whenever I'm near the many lakes, ponds, and creeks in the Adirondacks and throughout Upstate NY. While out exploring a local pond one winter day, the last thing I expected to see was a great blue heron, having never previously seen one in the winter before. To my surprise, as I wandered the snowy shore, a great cacophony startled me to the point that I nearly fell over. The commotion was from a great blue heron hunting in the thick brush at the edge of the semi-frozen pond, that I hadn't seen and had inadvertently spooked, causing it to belt out a guttural honk in disdain before lifting off by flapping its massive wings to find a new hunting spot. I continued to walk as I watched it fly away in awe, and just as it flew out of sight, my gaze returned to the ground in front of me, and what I saw perplexed me enough that I stopped midstride. Large markings in the snow, unlike anything I had ever seen before, were right where I was about to step. After a moment, I realized that the markings in the snow were the footprints of the heron! This mesmerizing discovery was enhanced even more by the presence of a fallen, snow covered oak leaf that the heron had graciously stepped over undisturbed, adding a sense of scale to just how large the heron tracks were.

Copyright
Joey Priola
Image Size
1067x1600 / 1.3MB
Keywords
Contained in galleries
Adirondacks & Upstate NY
The majestic great blue heron is one of my favorite animals, and I'm constantly on the lookout for them whenever I'm near the many lakes, ponds, and creeks in the Adirondacks and throughout Upstate NY. While out exploring a local pond one winter day, the last thing I expected to see was a great blue heron, having never previously seen one in the winter before. To my surprise, as I wandered the snowy shore, a great cacophony startled me to the point that I nearly fell over. The commotion was from a great blue heron hunting in the thick brush at the edge of the semi-frozen pond, that I hadn't seen and had inadvertently spooked, causing it to belt out a guttural honk in disdain before lifting off by flapping its massive wings to find a new hunting spot. I continued to walk as I watched it fly away in awe, and just as it flew out of sight, my gaze returned to the ground in front of me, and what I saw perplexed me enough that I stopped midstride. Large markings in the snow, unlike anything I had ever seen before, were right where I was about to step. After a moment, I realized that the markings in the snow were the footprints of the heron! This mesmerizing discovery was enhanced even more by the presence of a fallen, snow covered oak leaf that the heron had graciously stepped over undisturbed, adding a sense of scale to just how large the heron tracks were.
Joey Priola Wilderness Photography