Crestfallen...

I was determined this time to stick with this little heron until it showed its crest! Over the few years since I've taken up bird photography, I tried in vain to capture in photo,  the crest feathers. Each time I spied one in flight, and coming in to land on the marsh grounds, the crest would be visible...but, by the time I got the camera focused the crest had fallen back into place. Never any luck. Recently, I spied a young'un at the creek bed in our city's downtown park.

Once he looked me square in the eye, he decided I was a threat and flew into an overhanging branch...

...I moved a few feet from where I stood to keep the branches from my camera's viewfinder. Oops...shouldn't have done that. For, the heron flew higher into another tree close by!!

My, what big eyes you have Mr. Greenwings!! "All the Better to See You M'lady!"

On my part, big mistake. But, in the better scheme of my attempt to get the most always hidden crest to show for my lens, keeping it active just may do the trick. The heron continued to watch me and my every move.  I then walked from this area, across the foot bridge, to the other side.  It spotted me [or watched me all the time as I walked], and flew to the next tree with a more open view of its intruder carrying the big black box in her hand. Mr. Greenwings thinks: "Maybe if I pretend to spot some other intruder high above, in the sky, that'll make her forget me for a moment, and she'll look up with me?  You know, like all the tourists in NYC looking up at the skyscrapers...everybody looks up when they see someone looking up."

While I was being taken for a ditzy blond, it worked for only a second. But, while I was searching the higher canopy, the Little Green tried another trick in its book. "...While nitwit's she's lookin' up, I'll just sneak away and get back to my frog infested creek bed for lunch!!"

Aha!! I see you again! You thought you'd lose me, didn't you? But I'm determined to get your feathers riled on record. And I'm not leavin' 'til you show 'em to me. I aim again and try to be as patient as the great Green Hunter itself...

...as it preens and keeps one eye on me at the same time, it's thinking of distracting me by looking down. This time it didn't work. I kept a close vigil on its every move! I could feel a crest showing itself any second now--

...as it looked down the body action told me it's going to make a dive downward to dry land at the creek bottom soon. I held tough and kept the lens focused. Here it comes!! Downward it flies, and lands. With the beautiful green crest rigid!!

...the end. Anni has now left the park and Mr. Greenwings in peace.

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