On August 11, 1999 there was a solar eclipse. While total over parts of Europe it was only partial here in Nova Scotia. The maximum phase occurred at sunrise. I rose well before dawn and traveled a few miles to a shore location that offered an unobstructed eastern horizon. When I arrived and got my lens set up it was still pitch black. The tide was out. I was quite unaware that a Great Blue Heron had already "beat" me to this spot. As the darkness lifted into pre-dawn murk I saw him feeding about 130 feet away from me.

Now, I have wanted to get good pictures of these magnificent birds for many a year. Despite their being quite approachable in some bird sanctuaries, they are anything but in the wild. Getting even within 130 feet of them is difficult without planning, blinds and such.

Of course, it was far too dark for photography of any kind when I first saw the bird. I was out in plain sight. There was no point in trying to hide.

So, I waited. Waited for the eclipsed sun to rise and the heron to do what herons always seem to do . . . take flight.

As the sun began to approach the horizon, the early dawn light caused the water to take on a golden glow.

To my astonishment, the heron approached to within 45 feet of me. Of course he was totally backlit. I was helpless. Here this bird was in my very lap but the sun was still on the horizon, some 85% eclipsed and precisely opposite the bird. There was still very little light and the shutter speed very slow for such a long telephoto lens. Still I had to try. The bird is prettysharp considering the slow shutter speed. It was an exciting morning for me. At that time, I had never been closer to a heron than on this morning. Since, however, that has changed and I have managed some nice shots with much better lighting. They are posted in the Heron Gallery

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