We saw gray herons in Bundala and Minneriya National Parks and in Polonnaruwa.
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| A gray heron by the crafted rock sides of a large pool in Polonnaruwa. |
These were one of four subspecies of gray heron, the one found in Europe, Asia and Africa, Ardea cinerea cinerea, the nominate subspecies. We'd seen them before in Botswana, in the Okavanga Delta.
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| In Bundala NP. |
I love these aristocratic birds. They are elegant on the ground and in the air. Although take off is a bit clumsy, I like how it reveals the dark grey flight feathers hidden under their folded wings.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos! I hope you don't mind I used one on my poetry blog with a link to your site:
ReplyDeletehttps://madhatterpoetry.com/2021/09/27/big-bird-live/