Part of the family of Great Blue Herons that I had spent the entire season observing, I found this juvenile bird that had left the nest a little to early ... fallen out I guess and just couldn't get back up the 80 feet to where its parents and siblings were. It was making due, living in a shorter tree in a backyard next to the lake. It had been fishing and then I saw it walk through this metal fence into the yard, I guess it thought it was hiding from me. The fence bars and the stripes in his feathers gave this photo its title.

Bird Photographer of the Year 2022

FINALIST, Urban Birds category

Bird POTY, Bristol, UK

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