On the Santa Barbara Pier there was this Great Blue Heron. It apparently hangs out at the end of the pier, seeking handouts from the people fishing (and apparently it’s successful as I understand it’s regularly there).
I like the pose I was able to capture of this Heron, with its front leg not quite on the dock still in motion. It’s range of gray colors and the black occipital plumes coming off it’s head make for a colorful creature. As I look at this photo it sure looks like it’s on a mission with it’s beak forward and it’s eyes concentrating. Things I believe add to the “feel” of this photo: the rough looking dock with the splotches of white (provided by birds over time), the two wooden pilings on either side of the Heron and the soft focused blue of the Santa Barbara harbor in the background.