A Couple Birds In Flight

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Originally Posted by davidedric

It depends on the family. Herons (and egrets) all fly with their necks drawn back like this one, but all storks, cranes and flamingos with their necks fully extended. As to why - I guess you'd have to find a talking heron :D unless we have a proper ornithologist around.

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Thank you for viewing my image Dave. You are correct regarding the flight characteristics of those birds. In the post above I explained why this Great Blue Heron had it's neck extended.

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Originally Posted by darknight

Thats right david, as to why, its all about how they feed and what they feed on, that requires them to fly like that, think of what and how each one eats and it becomes clear.
As the for the photos, very nice, i take it they were landing for you to get such a great angle?

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Thank you Mark, I appreciate you viewing and commenting on my images. Your post was most imformative, I did not know that it was what they feed on and how they feed was the reason for the flight characteristics. In the first image the bird was gliding from the top of a tree to another area of the marsh. In the second image the heron crossed the path I was on just slightly above the brush tops, I shot a couple frames and it was gone further into the marsh.

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Originally Posted by davidedric

Thanks, Mark. One of those things that's obvious - once someone points it out! Though neither of us have explained why the Great Blue Heron has it's neck straight out. I suspect that it has just taken off - unless it has an identity crisis.

It's interesting but unsurprising that birds that have converged on similar feeding patterns (for example cattle egrets and crowned cranes) maintain their ancestral ways. Not sure whether this is off topic, but for me knowing more about animal behaviour increases the enjoyment of watching them, and I think makes for better photographs, too.

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Hi again Dave, in the post above I explained why the Great Blue Heron had it's neck extended. I am with you that animal behaviour exhances the enjoyment I have in photographing them, especially if you can capture them doing something that is unusual for the species.

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Originally Posted by FrankMi

That might be a clue. In order to fly with the least effort, the center of balance must be positioned in relation to the wing chord's center of lift. Could it be that the first Heron was flying on an empty stomach? I guess it may also depend on how far back in the body the stomach is?

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Wow! This is the first time my posted images have received so much speculation (see my posts above as to why the neck was extended). Very interesting comments. Thank you all.

Aparently this is a rare event. Unless it is landing, taking off, on a short flight, or stressed, flying with the neck extended is very uncommon. Take a look at: http://10000birds.com/little-blue-herons-in-flight.htm

I guess this means that you have a most unique photograph!

Thanks Frank, I went to the website in the link...very interesting. Once again thanks for commenting and posting the link.