S’pore photographer captures incredible shot of heron flying alongside Chinese fighter jet at Changi

Photographer captures rare moment of heron flying alongside Chinese fighter jet at Changi, had less than 0.5s to shoot

Quicker than the blink of an eye.

That was how a local photographer described the split second in which he captured a striking image of a heron flying alongside a Chinese fighter jet in Singapore’s skies.

The photograph was taken as Chinese fighter jets were making their approach into Changi Airport, when a bird unexpectedly entered the frame for a fleeting moment.

Local heron photographed alongside Chinese fighter jet

David Tan, a 60-year-old retiree, told MS News that he had gone to photograph Chinese fighter jets arriving in Singapore on 27 Jan.

The aircraft are part of the August 1st Aerobatics Team, the aerobatics unit of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), which is set to participate in the Singapore Airshow 2026.

Mr Tan photographed each J-10 fighter jet as it descended towards Changi Airport, though he did not capture the actual landings due to photography restrictions.

While photographing the second-last aircraft in the formation at about 2.40pm, he pressed the shutter for a burst of shots.

At that exact moment, a local grey heron flew into the frame, appearing to line up side-by-side with the jet.

Almost as soon as they appeared together, the two parted ways. The jet continued its descent for landing, while the heron veered upwards and out of view.

Heron & fighter jet aligned for less than half a second

Mr Tan told MS News that he was shooting at a shutter speed of 1/3200 of a second, or 0.0003125 seconds.

During a burst of six to eight frames, only two clearly captured both the grey heron and the jet in the same shot.

It’s estimated that the moment when both were aligned in frame lasted less than half a second.

Describing the experience as “quicker than the blink of an eye”, Mr Tan said he was delighted to have managed to capture and share the rare images.

“One a metal ‘bird’, the other a feathered bird. Literally a wingman,” he quipped.

Netizens amazed by timing of shot

On Facebook, netizens praised the impeccable timing and clarity of the photographs.

Another commenter expressed relief that no bird strike had occurred.

Addressing such concerns, Mr Tan explained that the heron and the fighter jet were actually far apart in reality, and that the aerobatics team reported no incidents during the flight.

Also read: ‘A difficult bird to shoot’: Photographer snaps striking Asian paradise flycatcher at Labrador Park

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Featured image adapted from David Tan on Facebook and courtesy of David Tan.