It's definitely worth getting a converted camera for IR, gone are the days where I had to use a tripod due to long exposures created by putting the filter on the lens. I can walk around and do it all handheld now.

Here where I am in FL they're very common, see them pretty often.

Blue Herons are quite common around me, I do have a shot or two of them of my own somewhere.

Love the touch B&W gives this, I've been shooting a LOT more B&W than ever before recently and don't plan to slow down or stop anytime soon.