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BIRDS OF RIVERS AND WETLANDS
Grey Heron.

The Grey Heron is not easy to approach, but it is visible from far away in open areas. In Giverny, one sees it sometimes in the meadows along the road leading to Limetz-Villez.
One also sees it on the Epte banks, the small arm of the Seine and the large meadow between Giverny and Vernon. To fish, the Grey Heron can hide for hours without moving, in shallow waters. As soon as it sees a fish, it slackens its neck and transpierces its prey. Shot from the bank of the small arm of the Seine in June 2006.

With its man size wingspan, this large bird has a majestic flight and rises slowly in the air. It flies while folding up the neck to offer less air resistance.
To see it in flight otherwise than for a short flight from one meadow to another at a few meters above the ground, one will note that it often follows the course of the river, preferably early or late in the day.

Shot on the Seine at Saint-Pierre-La-Garenne in May 2005.

 More about this bird with a soundtrack to listen to its strange voice.