The shy Purple Heron!

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(Edited)

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A Happy Friday to all! Only the second time to see one of these in my life!

The Purple Heron (Ardea pupurea) hides in the reeds and undergrowth at dams and marshes!

But come and let me tell you how I got this guy on camera today.
Firstly I have say that it is a rare occasion to get one on camera as these are very elusive birds.
Let's have a look at the story!

STOP the car, slap the hazard lights on and run across the road keeping a tree between me and the target!

Can you see the bird in the center of the photo below?
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He was standing dead still when I peeped around the tree that I was hiding behind!
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Bang! He disappeared as he struck down and came back up with a big frog!
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Turned and walked towards the bank of the stream!
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I also very slowly started moving sideways out of my hiding spot to get closer and clearer shots of him!
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Oh yeah, he is going to have a very happy Friday!
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But I had to let him go and rushed back to the car, as there were some frustrated drivers struggling to get past our car.
Now I am not a selfish person and if it was any other exotic I would simply have continued driving 😉
However occasions arise that have to be dealt with regardless of the consequences and this was such an occasion!

Here's some more information on the bird;

"A slender heron with a long thin neck and a slender yellowish bill. The back is grey-brown and the neck is orange-brown, streaked black on the sides. The crown of the head is black, but the throat is white...
A shy heron which hides among the reeds of quiet dams and marshes"
Source; Book, "Pocket Guide to Birds of Southern Africa"
Authors; Burger Cillie and Ulrich Oberprieler.

And That's All Friends!

Note: All photos are my own, fresh and taken today!
Camera used: Canon Powershot SX60HS

We leave you with this to think about!

“Health is the new wealth. Happiness is the new rich. Inner peace is the new success. Kindness is the new cool.” —Syed Balkhi

We hope that everyone will have a good Friday and a great weekend!

Thank you for visiting a post by @papilloncharity

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32 comments
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Oh my goodness! What a beauty!! I never saw one and I commend you on these fabulous shots! Your excitement level must have been off the scale! Wow!!!

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Thank you kindly @sallybeth23 and it was ideed a scoop of a lifetime.
I had to move as silent as a shadow to get him, but no way was I going to let him get away.
Desperate stuff, but it worked out well in the end, even if a few motorists were angry at me lol.
Blessings and glad to have shown you this beauty!

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You have taken some beautiful pictures here. Thanks for sharing them.

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I am absolutely jealous of your ability to capture some of the coolest birds. Wow that was a big frog he had for lunch.

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Hahaha, jealousy will get you nowhere my friend. I am just lucky lol.
Yeah, that was a nice big fat lunch for him methinks.
Blessings and !BEER

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Great photos you got! A real photo hunt! Especially the photo where she holds prey in her beak.

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Thank you kindly my friend!
I had to be very careful, but got the shots that I wanted in the end.
Cheers and !BEER

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Cool Zac, you really stopped on the road with the hazard lights on, just for some photos? You have told me that you are doing this sometimes, but somehow I didn't believe it - I was so wrong 🤣 lol

But I have to admit that is was worth it, because the photos are great 😃
I think you have something like a seventh sense to know good photo opportunities in advance 😀

Cheers and !BEER
!invest_vote

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Believe me? This time I was faster on the hazard switch than Marian, as normally it's her job lol.

We work well together as a driving team, as often she takes the steering when I hangv out of the driver's window to take a photo 🤣
But this time I had to get out quickly and silently and I kept the big trunk of an oak tree between me and the bird until I was ready for him.
That same seventh sense landed me in trouble so many times my friend.

So today I shot a funny bird that I will show you tomorrow!

Cheers and thanks!

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I'd love to see you two in action. So, one of you has the eyes always on the road? But it's not always the driver 🤣

As said before in another reply, I am having problems on the Hive today. At the moment it seems to work, but because I want to get up early tomorrow again I will switch off in a few moments.

Wish you a good night Zac 😊

Cheers and !BEER
!invest_vote

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A great Good Night also to you Hannes,

Yeah, as long as somebody has their eyes on the road and hold the steering and change the gears we are okay 🤣
I of course work the camera and the clutch and gas pedals.
Sometimes I also work the brake pedal 😁

Sleep well my friend!

Cheers and thanks!

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Haha, if the other drivers are driving similar it's no wonder that you have so many accidents on your roads 😂

Cheers and !BEER
!invest_vote

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Now, don't you get the wrong ideas here my friend. As far as I know nobody else drive like this.
But instead everyone else are on their mobile phones when they drive, which is an even greater danger, especially when they hold the phone on their steering to type messages while driving!

Cheers and thanks!

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Well, the phone thing is a big problem here too and people seem to don't care that it costs a lot of money if the police catches them.

Cheers and !BEER
!invest_vote

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That's wonderful lucky captures ! You have a knack with interesting situations to capture 😉

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Thank you kindly milady and I always say that I am just in the right place at the right time!

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Your post has been voted as a part of Encouragement program. Keep up the good work!
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Wow! Definitely something to slam your brakes on and forget about the consequences to get those once in a lifetime shots!
Such a beautiful bird and to catch him in action - incredible!
Thank-you for sharing your awesome photography!

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(Edited)

Oh yes indeed, over here people are always in a hurry and they don't take kindly to any obstructions in their way, but I don't allow their remonstrations to affect me in any way!
Besides it was only a few minutes and one can never pass up an opportunity like that.

Thank you for the kind words my friend and it was really a pleasure to share!

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Thanks for taking the risk to get these great photos for us! As always, I am impressed!

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Thank you milady!
A bird like this is worth the risk lol.
Blessings!

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