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Matthew Herron

@matthewherron.bsky.social
2.3K followers 764 following 916 posts

Evolutionary biologist, photographer, NSF PO. Views are my own and do not represent those of my employer or the United States. youtube.com/@xprinceps, www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=615…, matthewherron.net

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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 18h
I like this one for the sense of scale...the great blue heron dwarfs the yellowlegs and semipalmated sandpipers like a giant walking the earth. And they keep their distance, because yes, great blue herons will absolutely eat smaller birds if they can catch them. #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
More lesser yellowlegs drama, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Lesser yellowlegs drama, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland. Both lesser and greater yellowlegs seem to have a hard time getting along, but I've only ever seen this behavior within species, never between the two. #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
If you can tell these two birds apart, you're a better birder than me. The first is a short-billed dowitcher, the second a long-billed, at least according to eBird's image ID, which has gotten amazingly good. Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland. #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Another lifer for me at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland: red-necked phalarope. All three phalarope species have reversed the usual sexual dimorphism and mating behavior, with females competing for and defending males, who incubate and raise the chicks. #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Short video of a common gallinule feeding at Orlando Wetlands Park, Florida, way back in January #birds #wildlifephotography youtu.be/dndCMq11H9A
youtu.be
Common gallinule feeding
Short video of a common gallinule feeding at Orlando Wetlands Park, Florida eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S296316435
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Seaside sparrow, Deal Island Wildlife Management Area, Maryland #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Eastern wood-pewee with a black horse fly. These enormous flies were thick in the air in the wooded parts of the wildlife drive, flying in through the open windows and bouncing off of the closed ones. Eat them all, little friend! #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Northern yellow warbler, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Eastern kingbird, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Least flycatcher, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Silver-spotted skipper on thistle flower, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland #insects #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Atlantic ghost crabs, Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware, shot back in June. Watch for the piping plover cameo around 0:22. #crustaceans #wildlifephotography youtu.be/73nKdaTBkNU
youtu.be
Atlantic ghost crab
Atlantic ghost crabs feeding on the beach at Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware. Includes a brief cameo by a piping plover.
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Near the beginning of the wildlife drive, Blackwater has a pollinator walk. I'm always excited to see these hummingbird clearwing moths, this time extracting nectar from a thistle. Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland #insects #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
American redstart, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Labor Day weekend I went out to Blackwater again and camped on Hooper's Island. I watched this bald eagle eating what I assume was a shorebird for about 15 minutes. There will eventually be a video. Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Green heron, Wildwood Park, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Black-necked stilt, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
This is the other bird I went to Blackwater to see: ruff, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland. This species breeds in Eurasia, winters in Africa, and is an uncommon visitor to North America. #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Prothonotary warbler singing at McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area, Maryland #birds #wildlifephotography youtu.be/g7VAo7KvrZo
youtu.be
Prothonotary warbler singing
Prothonotary warbler singing at McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area, Maryland
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Lesser yellowlegs drama, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Lesser yellowlegs drama, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Black tern with a small fish, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
A couple of lifers were reported at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Maryland, so I braved the Bay Bridge again and spent the weekend in Cambridge. I found both; here's the black tern. #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Dark-eyed junco with prey, Craggy Gardens along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Silver-spotted skipper on a butterfly bush near Marion, North Carolina #insects #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Least bittern doing least bittern things at McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area, Maryland #birds #wildlifephotography youtu.be/Y7ZVef5aq_E
youtu.be
Least bittern
Juvenile least bittern doing least bittern things in McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area, Maryland
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The second evening in Tanglewood Campground near Marion, NC, we were treated to a good half hour sitting and watching this American beaver collecting and then eating vegetation in and along a very small creek. It seemed completely unconcerned about the our presence. #mammals #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Pipevine swallowtail on a butterfly bush near Marion, North Carolina #insects #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Eastern tiger swallowtail feeding on the nectar of a butterfly bush near Marion, NC. I wanted to camp along the Blue Ridge Parkway, but state and national park campgrounds were either full or closed, so I found a private campground, Tanglewood, which I highly recommend. #insects #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Snowy egret with a small fish, Audubon's Silver Bluff Sanctuary, South Carolina #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Juvenile little blue heron in late afternoon sunlight, Audubon's Silver Bluff Sanctuary, South Carolina #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Snowy egret with a small fish, Audubon's Silver Bluff Sanctuary, South Carolina #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
I'm pretty sure this is the first time one of my bird photos has been published in a scientific journal: digitalcommons.usf.edu/delaware_orn... p. 108: harlequin duck
digitalcommons.usf.edu
The Passing Scene: Fall 2024 – Summer 2025
By Gene K. Hess, Published on 01/01/25
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Red knot feeding and preening at Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware #birds #wildlifephotography #destateparks youtu.be/b-h55EoTncM
youtu.be
Red knot feeding and preening
Short video of a red knot feeding and preening among sanderlings, ruddy turnstones, and laughing gulls at Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Great egret, Audubon's Silver Bluff Sanctuary, South Carolina #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Little blue heron, Audubon's Silver Bluff Sanctuary, South Carolina #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
White ibis with a large crayfish (which it did eventually eat), Audubon's Silver Bluff Sanctuary, South Carolina #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
White ibis, Audubon's Silver Bluff Sanctuary, South Carolina #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Great egret, Audubon's Silver Bluff Sanctuary, South Carolina #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Solitary sandpiper, Audubon's Silver Bluff Sanctuary, South Carolina #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Dunlin, Cape Henlope State Park, Delaware #birds #wildlifephotography youtu.be/LyLS7qo_qV8
youtu.be
Dunlin feeding
Short video of a dunlin in full breeding plumage feeding at Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Little blue heron, Audubon's Silver Bluff Sanctuary, South Carolina #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
While the great and snowy egrets were mostly focused on tiny fish, little blue herons, both juveniles and adults like this one, were cleaning up on large tadpoles/froglets. The out of focus birds in the background are wood storks. Audubon's Silver Bluff Sanctuary, SC #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Great egret, Audubon's Silver Bluff Sanctuary, South Carolina #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
This gives a fair idea of what happens when Audubon's Silver Bluff Sanctuary lowers the water level in the Kathwood Ponds. Along with these great and snowy egrets, there were lots of wood storks, little blue herons, white ibis, 2 roseate spoonbills, and a few shorebirds. #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Snowy egret, Audubon's Silver Bluff Sanctuary, South Carolina #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Wood stork, Audubon's Silver Bluff Sanctuary, South Carolina #birds #wildlifephotography
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Snowy egret hunting in Long Key State Park, Florida. This is from back in February, so out of sequence with the Cape Henlopen videos. youtu.be/wjNZ8326Vzc #birds #wildlifephotography
youtu.be
Snowy egret hunting
Snowy egret hunting tiny fish among the mangrove roots in Long Key State Park, Florida. Includes a couple of confrontations with tricolored herons.
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Matthew Herron @matthewherron.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
During the weekend I was in Port Royal, Audubon's Silver Bluff Sanctuary lowered the water level in one pond, and the wading birds were all over it. In spite of the best efforts of its companions, this white ibis did manage to hang on to the crayfish. #birds #wildlifephotography
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