Honored to be on the 2023 Audubon Photography Awards: Top 100 list and featured in the Cape Fear Living Photogropher of the Year 2023 contest, I dubbed this image of a juvenile Green Heron "Dandelion Head" due to the tufty crest and single follicle about to "take off." It was such a delight to capture. The Green Herons that choose Greenfield Lake, a cypress bog in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina, to nest in the thick overgrowth surrounding the water-bound bald cypress trees. Swamp rose and other dense shrubs make the perfect cover for their nests. I await each year for these tufted beauties to emerge to the lower branches to explore their brand new world. To them, I am simply another part of their new world and I can gain enough trust to get near enough for some captivating shots!
 
https://www.audubon.org/news/2023-audubon-photography-awards-top-100
https://www.capefearliving.com/photo-exhibit-2023