Birds and Blooms

Tri-colored Heron,  San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge,
Brazoria County,  Matagorda County,  Texas

midst a mixture of old and new,  I decided to put together a collection of some of my favorite “Wading” birds from my archives over the years and present them here in my Blog.    These were captured from various locations,   from the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana,   northward to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern coastal plains and marshes of the United States.  Much of my time has been devoted to small songbirds and wildflowers most recently,   so I thought it might be fun “look back” and reminisce a bit.   These are not presented in any particular order, alphabetically nor chronologically…. Although not a Egret or Heron,  but a member of the family Threskiornithidae,   I included the Roseate Spoonbill simply due to its size and communal habits of roosting and socializing with species included herein.

Snowy Egret,  Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge,
Chambers County,  Texas

 

Snowy Egret,  Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge,
Atlantic County, Ocean County,  New Jersey

f the Egrets, the Snowy is quite the “showoff”,   especially while herding his prey or staking out territory.   Rapidly prancing through the shallow tidal flats, wings spread is a common and comical sight.   It’s “snow white” feathers,  black legs and yellow feet create quite the visual spectacle adding to his clownish behavior.

Snowy Egret,
Brazoria County,  Texas

 

Snowy Egrets sparring,  West Galveston Island,
Galveston County  Texas

 

Great Egret,  Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge,
Kent County,  Delaware

 

Great Egrets “sparring”,  West Galveston Island,
Galveston County,  Texas

raceful Elegance fully describes this largest member of the Egret family in all of its snow-white splendor.   Not as comical and aggressive as the Snowy Egret,  but deliberate yet cautious while feeding and considerably slower and precise in movements.   It hosts a lovely breeding plumage with the glowing green lore before the eye.   A photographic challenge for exposure, but worth the extra effort.

Great Egret,  San Luis Pass,
Galveston County,  Texas

 

Great Egret “in flight”,  Trinity River Island Recreation Area,
Wallisville, Chambers County,  Texas

 

Reddish Egret,  Houston Audubon Shorebird Sanctuary,
Port Bolivar,  Galveston County,  Texas   (and 2 images below)

 

 

he Reddish Egret is truly the “showman” of the Egret family with its running, spinning with wings spread herding it’s meals. I’ve also found although cautious, this bird is one of the most “approachable” of the Egret’s in the wild.  It displays two color morph’s maintaining them from juvenile to adult age. I have been lucky to observe and photograph both.  Both morph’s presented here were photographed along the upper Texas Gulf Coast.

Reddish Egret,  White Morph,  San Luis Pass,
Galveston County,  Texas   (and 2 images below)

 

 

 

Great Blue Heron “portrait”,  Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge,
Chambers County,  Texas

 

Great Blue Heron,  Pinks Pond
Cambridge,  Dorchester County,  Maryland

imply the most widely photographed and common of our large wading birds is the Great Blue Heron with its vast distribution throughout the United States from sea to shining sea,   and just about every wildlife/nature photographer,  from hobbyist to professional will have at least one image or two within their portfolios.    Amusingly,  even with my large inventory of avian subjects,  I have only a few,  and not because I don’t see them,  but finding an “attractive” specimen in pleasing surroundings can be difficult at times;  and then,  I’m usually “side-lined” by other subjects.

Great Blue Heron “on Ice”,  Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge,
Atlantic County, Ocean County,  New Jersey

 

Great Blue Heron “takeoff”,  Yellow Breeches Creek,
Cumberland County,  Pennsylvania

 

Tricolored Heron “at sunrise”,  Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge,
Chambers County,  Texas   (and image below)

 

ith the “comical” characteristic behavior of the Snowy and Reddish Egret’s,  the Tricolored Heron is by far the most colorful,  especially at sunrise as pictured above.   These are so much fun to observe around other like species with their “cocky” attitudes,  strutting and displaying,  making holding the camera still by chuckling a chore.   Thank-goodness for tripods!    Truly a popular wading bird with photographers.

Tricolored Heron “on the prowl”,   Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge,
Brazoria County,  Texas

 

Tri-colored Heron,  San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge,
Brazoria County,  Matagorda County,  Texas

 

Little Blue Heron foraging,  Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge,
Cameron Parish,  Louisiana  (and two images below)

 

f all the herons I have photographed,  the Little Blue has been somewhat my nemesis with capturing close and quality images of them.   Not because I haven’t seen my share of them,  but only at great distances and seemingly appear quite shy within our refuge system and I try to keep my image cropping to a bare minimum.   Luckily though,  I have had several in the recent past allow a fairly close approach and some decent photography.   I continue to keep an eye out for this species.

 

Little Blue Heron,  Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge,
Chambers County,  Texas

 

Black-crowned Night-Heron,  Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge,
Kent County,  Delaware  (and the four images below)

 

he Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge within the state of Delaware has presented me with the finest opportunities to photograph this Night-Heron species and on numerous occasions,  especially while foraging in the Shearness Pool and roosting in the surrounding trees of the Finis Pool.  However,   I’ve observed and photographed them in various locations.   All of the above images were captured over 13 years back at this wonderful Delaware Refuge and long before it became so popular with the crowds.

 

Black-crowned Nigh-Heron, “Juvenile”,

 

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron,  Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge,
Cameron Parish,  Louisiana  (and two images below)

 

f the two Night-Herons, the Yellow-crowned is the least attractive to me and has been more difficult to find here in the Mid-Atlantic region, however breeding maps and surveys show them as very prevalent in this area.  I’ve seen plenty along the Gulf Coasts of Texas and Louisiana in the marshes and brackish ditches. They were numerous at the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge along the Pintail Drive. This refuge is a “must visit” and has a wonderful visitor’s center and is just south of the city of Lake Charles.

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron,  “Juvenile”

 

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron,  “Juvenile” Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge,
Brazoria County, Texas

 

Green Heron,  Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge,
Kent County,  Delaware

 

Green Heron,  Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge,
Cameron Parish,  Evangeline Parish,  Louisiana

lthough small in size,  the Green Heron is no less a prize for the photographer and birding enthusiast,  but like the Bitterns,  blend in well with their surroundings and can be difficult to see.   And unlike most of the other Egrets and Herons,  can be extremely secretive.   I can remember devoting entire afternoons seeking this species alone at the Finis Pool of the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in the state of Delaware.   This Heron is not entirely dedicated to coastal areas and can be found far inland in many wetlands and freshwater marshes.   We have several “resident” Greenie’s at a couple of the lakes here close to home,   such as the one pictured above at the nearby Codorus State Park and Lake Marburg.

Green Heron “on the prowl”,  Black Rock Flats,
Codorus State Park,   York County,  Pennsylvania

 

Green Heron, “with a snack”  Trinity River Island Recreation Area
Chambers County,   Texas

As noted above in the description,  this has been a journey of many past years from my initial interest in Nature and Avian photography to the present day,  and my photographic gear has changed dramatically over that period,  as well as my experience level within this phase of the photographic craft.   I have found it very rewarding and soothing compared to, and unlike my days as a professional commercial photographer,  and then imaging professional with National Geographic Magazine under the pressure of clients and magazine deadlines.   Back in those days,  the last thing I wanted to do was to pick up a camera on a weekend;  today it’s second nature to do so.   All of the images above were captured with Canon cameras to include the EOS 1D,  ID Mark IIN,  5D,  5D III and the EOS 7D II.   As far as the 35mm format, I have been with Canon from “Day One” and continue to be…   Lenses include the old Canon EF 100-400L, appropriately nicknamed the “Dust Pumper,  EF 70-200 f2.8L and the big brawny EF 400 f2.8L while more recently the Sigma 150-600mm Sports and the new Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 Sports,  both of which are outstanding in build and image quality as well as versatile.

I hope everyone enjoyed this post and presentation,  and as always comments and questions are welcome!