Snowy Egrets

Since I never see Snowy Egrets here in the Pacific Northwest, I’m always pleased when I get a chance to photograph them close-up as I did at Lake Ralphine on my recent trip. I often have seen this one near the boat dock, hunting the edge of the lake.

I’ll have to admit that I’m so used to seeing them in California sunshine that I think of them as being brilliantly white, as shown in this shot against the blue water.

Snowy Egret

It’s no wonder that it’s beautiful feathers were once sought after by rich and fashionable ladies.

Since this one often poses on the rocks near the edge of the lake, I’ve had good luck getting shots of its legs and feet,

Snowy Egret

which still fascinate me. I was amazed to realize that they actually have toenails on those four toes.

I usually discard shots where I’ve cut part of the bird out of the frame, but I really liked this headshot of the egret hunting in the shade.

Snowy Egret

I’m just glad I’m not the frog or fish that he’s hunting, as it seems more ferocious than beautiful from this angle.

3 thoughts on “Snowy Egrets”

  1. I love those gorgeous feet! But I agree – glad I am not a frog to feel that fearsome beak.

  2. Such beautiful, impressive birds. I especially love the last photo. Perhaps you might think about saving a few more shots where the subject is partly out of frame. After all, this is how we mostly see shapes and movement – life and looking are not a series of framed pictures. Of course, that’s just my preference, and your photography means little unless its all about how you see and your own preferences for representing that.

    1. I try to capture as closely as possible what I see with my own eyes, but since I use a telephoto lens it often crops out much of what I can see. It’s that kind of cropping I try to avoid, not the natural cropping that occurs because of foliage, etc.

      I’ll have to look back, though, and see if my choice of shots I present has been unduly influenced by the bird identification shots I see in my birding books since they always try to show the whole bird to help in identification.

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