A little of this and a little of that…
1/6400, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Followers of Feathered Photography already know that two weeks ago I spent some time photographing Snowy Egrets fishing and squabbling on duckweed-covered water at Farmington Bay WMA. The egrets in these first two photos were in an area of clear water but most of it was covered with duckweed.
This was a strike for a fish. My very high shutter speed completely froze the action and because the bill of the bird went straight into the water there was no water splash. So it may look like a static pose but believe me, the strike was lightning-quick.
I like the stretched-out posture of both the bird and the reflection.
1/4000, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
All of the fish I saw the egrets take were small-fry not much longer than an inch so you have to look fairly carefully to see this one. But there were enough small fish in the water to eventually bring a lot of egrets in and I had fun trying to take photos of them on their approach and as they landed on the water or took off.
1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Here one of the egrets is about to touch down in its chosen spot as it skims the surface with its “golden slippers”.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
A different bird just prior to plopping its feet into the water during landing. Getting proper exposure on these bright white birds against a darker background was problematic but I did the best I could.
1/6400, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
This shot was taken just after the bird took off. When my shutter was timed just right I often got this distinctive wing position at lift-off.
1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Here’s another example of that wing position.
1/8000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
The egrets were in close proximity to each other as they were fishing so it was often difficult to get a single bird isolated in the frame.
Their normal sleeked-down profile would transform instantly to this prickly, aggressive appearance whenever they challenged another bird that was too close. Brief fights often broke out but I don’t like any of my fighting shots because depth of field issues made it almost impossible to get multiple birds sharp.
Waterfowl hunting season opened this past weekend so the tranquility at Farmington and Bear River will be a thing of the past through January. I’m always just a little bit vexed by the irony of hunting at places referred to as “refuges” but that’s a story for another day.
Ron
The yellow legs on “Narcissus” really confused me in the first 2 photos. Looking at Sibley, Snowy Egrets juveniles start fishing with all yellow legs and all bill. The blackness on the upper mandible must happen before the legs darken.
Great shots of beautiful birds that were commonplace in Louisiana and uncommon in Wisconsin.
The way the wings are “jointed” at the elbow is much like an Osprey taking or lifting off out of the water !!
Just a pleasure to look at. Thank you, Ron.
That last shot is amazing!
Fantastic pictures Ron. Thanks!
I’m glad you like them, Jean.
Beautiful.
Thanks, April.
I am particularly entranced with the prickly bird, but love the entire series.
Refuge? With hunting? It sounds like the dictionary our politicians use. Hiss and spit.
“It sounds like the dictionary our politicians use”
Good point, EC. It probably is…
The first shot made me think of the story of Narcissus. These shots are really something! Wow! I see Egrets at Bolsa Chica and El Dorado (and occasionally in my neighborhood), but I’ve never seen a squabble. Even though you had DoF issues, I’d still be interested in seeing a shot or two for purely documentary purposes.
Thanks, Marty. I’m afraid you’re out’a luck. I deleted all those fighting shots.
AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH! 😉
Neat photos of an interesting bird. If I had to choose today…love that last photo! The ruffled feathers on the head and the wing position with the leg position make foe a very interesting photo. On a funny note… I must say the old song/phrase ‘Walk Like an Egyptian’ or perhaps the wedding reception dance song ‘The Chicken Dance’ comes to mind.
Thank you, Kathy. In that last shot the egret was really strutting up a storm!
A wildlife “refuge” where you can hunt waterfowl. Is that an oxymoron? How about changing the name to Farmington Game Preserve or similar? But forgetting that for a moment, great photos Ron. All the liftoff photos are outstanding in every way.
Everett, technically the name is Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area but most folks refer to it as a refuge. But Bear River actually has the word “Refuge” in its official name. I don’t get it…
Beautiful shots, Ron – all of them! The first one is an amazing capture – how it can stretch that far and then get it’s bill straight in is beyond me plus the reflection it that and #2. 🙂 The tippy toe landings are also fun and the ruffled up bird in the last shot is great – certainly DOES increase their size appearance…….. “Concentrated fowl control” when it comes to the hunting tho having done a bit of it many years ago it’s still a fair amount of work! 😉 Once the Endrin issue came up that ended it for me – wasn’t going to kill it if I couldn’t eat it. 🙁
Thanks, Judy. I only hunted ducks one time, when I was a kid in MT. Didn’t appeal to me in the least, for a variety of reasons. I did enjoy an occasional pheasant hunt back then.
What fun you had, the images show me that you had to have been smiling inside the whole time you were clicking the button!
Great shots, and thanks for sharing.
Not to get off track here,but do you think there ever could be the chance that “Refuges” could become havens for migrating waterfowl?
We entice waterfowl to use the refuges so we can bag them. I would use stronger terms, but this is a family blog!
Thanks, Dick. If by “Refuges” you mean places they’re actually protected year around, I doubt it.