Walking on the Wild Side

Morning Calm - (Snowy Egret - 2020) 

Morning Calm (Snowy Egret)Early morning light highlights a snowy egret as it awaits a morning meal.

Taken in Salida, Colorado

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I am sure you have heard about the “golden hour” or "magic hour" of photography. It is that first hour after sunrise or first hour before sunset that yields a soft light which lends a magical quality to most photos. This is all due to the angle of the sun in the sky. At sunrise and sunset the sun is low above the horizon so sunlight rays must penetrate the atmosphere for a greater distance. The effect is a reduction in intensity of the direct light, so more of the illumination on your subject comes from indirect light.  

A snowy egret with it's bright white plumage can often be a challenge as it can be washed out with a bright background. The key to this photo was capturing the egret against a dark backdrop. The angle of the early morning sun was just right to highlight the bird but not the water giving a high contrast. It is rewarding to have all the components align to make a perfect photo shoot as they did on this fine Spring morning in Salida, Colorado.

 

Snowy Egret Facts:

1. Snowy egrets hunt for the prey in two different ways. When hunting invertebrates, amphibians or bottom dwelling prey they will use a foot to stir up the mucky bottom. When hunting swimming fish, they will stay perfectly still and wait for the prey to swim by and then stab their bill into the water to catch the meal.

2. As is common with many birds, mating season plumage can be different. In the case of the snowy egret, they will develop a showy, lacy plume on their head, neck and tail. These feathers are used to make elaborate displays in order to entice a mate.  

3. Snowy egrets nests in colonies. The common term for the collection of nests in a clump of trees is a "rookery".   It is not uncommon for snowy egrets to nest with other herons and egrets, such as little blue herons, cattle egrets and black-crowned night herons. 

4. Snowy Egrets will sometimes mate with other heron species and produce hybrid offspring.
 

 

Lea Frye - Wildlife photographer

 

 

www.leaf-images.com     |      Lea Frye, Wildlife Photographer        |    Helena, MT

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