Great Blue Heron ('dem legs)

As soon as I read the syllabus for Wildlife Education, I started taking pictures of birds when I was out and about.  On May 24th I woke up extra early and walked down to Memorial Park in Pottstown, PA.  It was just about 7 a.m. and not quite 70 degrees Fahrenheit when I walked along Manatawny Creek.  This area is a floodplain forest.  I caught sight of this Great Blue Heron as it took flight.  It stopped once it was far enough away from me.

Great Blue Herons are fairly easy to identify.  They are large birds with long legs and a long neck.  Their feathers are a grayish-blue.  Their large yellow beak and black plume help them to stand out from other egrets and herons.  That large beak is used for impaling fish, which is why they tend to be found near waterways.  For a bird that looks a bit awkward when wading in the water, it is amazing to watch them take off and fly away so gracefully.