A great blue heron chick with its mother at Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach. Photo: Ronen Tivony
On March 6, 2026, my great blue heron chick photo was selected as the lead image in The Guardian’s “Week in Wildlife” gallery. The featured image captures a heron chick nestled close to its mother at Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach, Florida, a location I return to repeatedly with my camera and wildlife photography workshop participants.
The Guardian “Week in Wildlife” Feature
The Guardian’s weekly “Week in Wildlife” showcases compelling global wildlife images, curated by picture editors to highlight natural beauty and environmental stories. Leading this global edit recognizes South Florida wetlands’ rich biodiversity.
My photo opens the March 6, 2026 gallery with an intimate great blue heron mother-chick moment at Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Palm Beach County. Captured during peak nesting season, it shows adults tending hungry chicks from eye-level boardwalks, ideal for respectful, long-lens storytelling.
A Great Blue Heron Family at Wakodahatchee Wetlands
Wakodahatchee is one of my favorite locations in Palm Beach County, not only for the density of nesting wading birds but also for how accessible it is for photographers at every level. From the elevated boardwalks we can work close to active nests without disturbing the birds, using longer focal lengths, careful timing, and awareness of behavior to capture authentic moments like this one.
Great Blue Heron Chick Facts
Great blue heron chicks hatch from 3-6 pale blue eggs after 27-28 days of incubation by both parents, emerging covered in pale grey down. They grow rapidly, reaching 86% of adult weight by 45 days, with the largest chick often dominating food and sometimes displacing siblings. First flight occurs around 8 weeks, fledging fully at 10-12 weeks, when parents depart.
These chicks have grey eyes that turn bright yellow in adulthood, and both parents feed them regurgitated food until independence.
About Ronen Tivony
Ronen Tivony is an award-winning wildlife photojournalist, certified Florida Master Naturalist, and workshop leader based in Florida, with work published in National Geographic, The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC, CNN, TIME, LA Times, USA Today, Smithsonian Magazine, and more. Transitioning from decades in news photojournalism, including as Vice President of the Press Photographers Association of Greater Los Angeles, he now leads hands-on wildlife photography tours at Wakodahatchee Wetlands and other Florida wildlife hotspots. A 2020 Royal Photographic Society Fellow, Ronen combines camera expertise with ecosystem knowledge to teach behavior-based storytelling