#421 Great Blue Heron #421
by William Lum
Title
#421 Great Blue Heron #421
Artist
William Lum
Medium
Painting - Watercolor
Description
This is my watercolor color painting of a Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias. On my December 2019 visit to the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge at 2180 State Highway 20 in California, I got a view of a Great Blue Heron. It was one of the few birds that allowed us to get relatively close enough to shoot a detailed reference photo. Most of the birds react to cars and visitors by drifting away, it’s a survival instinct. Unfortunately they also drift away from your camera. To get a decent shot you need long telephoto lens.
Great Blue Herons have specialized feathers on their chest that continually grow and fray. The herons comb this “powder down” with a fringed claw on their middle toes, using the down like a washcloth to remove fish slime and other oils from their feathers as they preen. Applying the powder to their underparts protects their feathers against the slime and oils of swamps.
This 15” X 22” watercolor painting was done on Winsor and Newton, 140 lb, rough paper.
Uploaded
March 27th, 2020
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