click display composite above for a 1550 x 1188 version with a signed title block

Egrets and Herons
(a Wildlife Study)

Egrets and Herons as a group are my favorite birds, and this page was compiled from
a selection of over 800 portfolio-grade images that were carefully selected from over 10,000
images of these magnificent creatures. This page is the most extensive Gallery page, and except
for the Portfolio page containing 200 Selected Signed Images, it is the most extensive on the entire
website. Believe me, it was extremely difficult to reduce the 800 portfolio-grade images to only the
175 images and composites shown here. Ten categories of Egrets and Herons are represented
on this page, and I think you will find each image interesting. I have included some composite
images as well... many more are available (some are shown on the other Gallery pages).

I used a high percentage of large thumbnails to create this portfolio page.
Because it contains twice as many images as the other extensive pages,
it is a long page. I thought that these birds should be together, so I didn’t
split this up into two separate pages (as I normally would have done).

Nearly all of the landscape images are 1500 pixel wide portfolio-grade.
Most of the portrait images are 1200 pixels (some are larger).

I hope you enjoy this detailed study of Egrets and Herons.

Click an Image to open a large version.
Use your back button to return to this page.
Composites will open in a second window.

Images on this page are in several different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Featured Birds Collection page.

Select a Gallery containing the type of Egret or Heron image you are interested in.

If you are interested in the Composites, contact Ron Reznick
(contact information is on the Ordering page)

Black-Crowned Night Heron

The most widespread heron in the world, the Black-Crowned Night Heron is a stocky
fellow with a short neck and legs that feeds mostly at night (thus the name), in areas that
are hunted by other herons and egrets during the day. They can take some amazingly large
fish for their size. They have bright red eyes as adults (the juveniles have amber eyes that turn
red before they become adults). Adults have black crowns and backs with white faces and
breasts, and the juveniles are streaked brown and grayish-white all over their bodies.

Black-Crowned Night Heron Alpha Male 4859

This fellow seemed to be the King Heron at the LA Arboretum,
and had a radically different appearance from that of the other Herons,
many of which can be seen below. More shots of Arboretum Herons are below.

Black-Crowned Night Heron 0851, 0833

Two more heron shots taken at the LA Arboretum.
Note the differently shaped head feathers and the shallower
beard and cheek ruffs. The shape of the birds above are commonly
seen amongst the BCN Herons... the fellow shown first was a rare individual.

Black-Crowned Night Heron 0875

My favorite portrait of a Black-Crowned Night Heron.

Black-Crowned Night Heron HS3722

They often stand in ambush at the edge of streams or ponds,
watching for a fish or insect to come close. They usually hunt at night.

Black-Crowned Night Heron X8433

Like many of the images on this page, this is available as an XL Signed Image.

Black-Crowned Night Heron X8409

This is what photographers call a “bird on a stick’ shot.
It also happens to be one of the most highly detailed images
I have of a Night Heron, and is available as a 4288 x 3000 XL Signed.

BCN Heron Juvenile Flight X5667

A juvenile takes flight in the waning light.

BCN Heron X8281

An adult perched on a log watches the day go by.

BCN Heron Juvenile 1116

The typical streaked plumage of the juvenile.

BCN Heron Juvenile 1119

The wind gave him an astonished look.

BCN Heron Juvenile 1109

It was quite likely the very first big lens he had ever encountered.
The front element of the 300mm f/2.8 is about the size of a bread plate,
and I’m sure it looked pretty spectacular to this little guy from about 8 feet away.

BCN Heron Juvenile HS0379

This is a younger juvenile (note the amber eyes). He stands out
beautifully against the background, which has been completely defocused.

BCN Heron Juvenile 0806

I almost never use a flash for nature shots, but this guy
was standing in deep shadow. It was either flash or no shot.

BCN Heron Juvenile 0758

A beautiful scene of a late juvenile growing his first mating plumes.

BCN Heron Juvenile HS0386

Another close-portrait of the younger juvenile shown earlier, this one in landscape mode.

Black-Crowned Night Heron 0833, 0872

An adult with mating plume stands watch over Baldwin Lake.
On the right, an unusual shot of a Night Heron swimming during the day.

Black-Crowned Night Heron Swimming 0845

In my experience, it is very rare to see them swimming in the middle of the day.
They most often are roosting or are perched near the edge of the water.

Black-Crowned Night Heron Portraits M

An M-sized composite (1578 x 1318).

This shows a profile and oblique together with a head-on shot of a
perched heron. Long beaked birds are so comical in head-on shots...

Black-Crowned Night Heron Portrait X8142

A detail crop of a night heron portrait.
(the original image is from the center wing up)

There are two versions of the original image available.
(4:5 portrait crop of chest and head, LG signed;
and the original 3:2 landscape XL signed)

Contact Ron Reznick at (818) 843-8212 to acquire signed images.

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron

Similar to the Black-Crowned Night Heron, but with a golden crown,
a white streak under the eye, black legs and a grayish-brown body, these
herons occupy warm coastal regions, mostly in the Southeastern United States.
There are some in California, but I have only encountered them in Florida.

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron 1573, 1575

Good balance... wouldn’t you say?

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron 2086

This guy was traipsing back and forth beside
a creek looking for bugs and fish at mid-day.

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron 2118

The light was pretty harsh, but it was a rare
opportunity for me so I took the shots anyway.

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron 2099

Cattle Egret

Originally native to tropical Africa and Asia, the Cattle Egret has spread throughout the world
in one of the most wide-ranging expansions of any bird species. This expansion began around
the end of the 19th century and is associated with the wider domestication of cattle and horses.
They flew across the Atlantic Ocean in the 1870s to northern South America, and migrated to
 the US in 1941, first breeding in Florida in 1953. They have since spread across the entire
country. They are small herons with a thick neck and bill that eat insects disturbed by the
movement of herd animals, as well as the ticks and flies that they remove from cattle.

Cattle Egret X2860

The Cattle Egret in non-breeding colors.
This image was taken in late November.

The image to the right was shot in late July,
and shows the Egret in breeding colors.

Cattle Egret HS6314

Cattle Egret X2853

These were taken at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.

Cattle Egret X2854

Our hero was digging in the undergrowth,
looking for insects and other likely morsels.

Cattle Egret X2857

Cattle Egret Nesting with Eggs HS0495

These three images are from a group of over 100 shots taken
during the spring, when nesting occurs. Note the bluish color of the eggs.

Cattle Egret and Chick HS0532

The chick looks a lot like its dinosaur ancestors, doesn’t it?
How about that look of adoration and love for its mother...

Cattle Egret Feeding Chicks HS0745

Images on this page are in several different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Featured Birds Collection page.

Select a Gallery containing the type of Egret or Heron image you are interested in.

If you are interested in the Composites, contact Ron Reznick
(contact information is on the Ordering page)

Great Blue Heron

The largest North American heron, the Great Blue is in my experience a very skittish bird
that flies the moment it sees you, but in Southern Florida they are apparently much more used
to the presence of people. They occupy wetlands areas, marshes, swamps and shorelines and
are prolific hunters of fish, although they also eat insects, rodents, amphibians and small birds.
They are blue-gray, with a dark gray to black streak on either side of the crown stripe, which
is gray to white. They have a streaked breast and neck and a light gray face, a very heavy
yellow bill with a straight upper edge, and long dark-gray legs. Mature birds grow long
plumes at the base of their neck and on the lower back in the breeding season.

They can be very challenging to shoot anywhere but in Florida, as they fly
the moment they see you. This results in a lot of shots of the rear end of flying
herons... you learn to move in on them very slowly and sometimes you can cultivate
a friendship of sorts with individuals over a period of time to the point where they trust you.
Of course, with a long lens you can stay outside of their large fear radius and get a shot easily,
but to get highly detailed images of wild birds from close range requires stealth and patience.

Great Blue Heron Sunrise 1239

A telephoto scenic shot on Bunch Beach, Sanibel Island, Florida.
I wasn’t yet accustomed to how closely you can approach the Great Blue
in Florida, so I took insurance shots on the way in as usual to make certain that
I came away with something for my efforts. It turns out that you can get very close to
the birds (they are used to people, it seems), and you will see several closeups below.

Great Blue Heron Sunrise 1256

Some tight shots of our hero...

Great Blue Heron Sunrise 1260

... trolling the shoreline in search of prey.

Great Blue Heron Sunrise 1182

A very rare (in my experience) frontal portrait at sunrise. I took several
 shots while moving in slowly, and he just let me keep coming in. Amazing.
Of course, this was taken with a 500mm lens from about 25 to 30 feet.
Still, that is far inside of the fear radius of birds I had seen in the past.

Great Blue Heron Sunrise 1859

The light in Florida at sunrise and sunset is magical.
I think it must be the humidity... while the sun is low it retains
more red light than I am used to and gives subjects a wonderful glow.

Great Blue Heron 900, 902

Two tight mid-morning portraits perched on a rock.
I was absolutely amazed to be able to get this close.

One of the trickiest things about shooting GB Herons and other
birds with light cheeks is getting the exposure right without losing
detail in the lighter parts of the bird, especially the cheeks and the bill.
You dance a fine line between proper exposure and overexposure.

Great Blue Heron 925, 1025

A backlit heron in the late afternoon on the left, and a quarter-lit heron
on the right as the sun was getting low in the sky. The light was becoming sweet.

Great Blue Heron Sunset 1087

Here we are just before sunset, in the full-blown glory of the Florida sun.
The light is very orange-red, and controlling the red channel becomes interesting,
but if you catch it right the look of the shot is magnificent. The bird strolling in front of the
seagull in the background doesn’t hurt much either, of course. Again, taken from quite close.

Great Blue Heron Roosting X0789

A Great Blue roosting in Eucalyptus at
Bolsa Chica Wildlife Refuge, late afternoon.

Great Blue Heron Sunset 0996

... and just before sunset in the trees beside
a creek above Bunch Beach, Sanibel Island.

Great Blue Heron Roosting X8357

Another Southern California GBH.
At right, another “bird on a stick” shot.

Great Blue Heron Perched X0795

Great Blue Heron 0857, 0859

My two best early results at shots of the GBH, taken at the LA River.
The herons there are extremely skittish, and fly when you get inside 100 feet.
I cultivated this fellow for weeks to get in this close, coming by every week, sometimes
twice a week. Every time he would let me in closer before flying. Finally, I was able
to approach all the way to the edge of the opposite side of the river from him.
Then, the trick was to catch him in one of the very few places that was not
covered with tons of alluvial deposits of debris in the background
(a euphemism for trash... the LA River carries all of the
runoff from nearby streets, and trash gets in it).

Great Blue Heron 0598

One of the more elegant positions I’ve seen, from a sequence in Yellowstone National Park.
I was shooting this fellow (with a friend) while he was busy hunting, and while he was strutting
across the creek a fish attracted his attention. The resulting position created an interesting shot.

Great Blue Flasher X0466

Great Blue Flasher X0475

Check out the look on the face of the GB Heron
shown at left (X0466). Priceless. These images
were taken at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge on a
hot afternoon in March. The bird was actually
trying to cool off, letting a little breeze in, but
 you know what this looks like. The look on
his face certainly completes the illusion.

Great Blue Flasher X0530

I thought this situation would be perfect for a telephoto-scenic wildlife shot. Comedy and beauty.

Great Blue Heron X2730

Shot from across the pond, from about 100 feet,
a typical distance from the Heron before it flies.

Great Blue Heron X0911

This image was shot from about 200 feet.
I had to crop down to about half of the frame
(this is typical of GBH shots outside of Florida).

Great Blue Heron Alpha Male 1898, 1814

A heavily bearded alpha male GBH shot on a cold morning in Bosque del Apache.
The beard plumes look heavier than they actually are because he had them fluffed up
to help him keep his neck warm (it was about 20 degrees outside). I got in fairly close
to this fellow using stealth, as I was there with only one person (Dave C.), who was
also able to move quietly to avoid scaring the bird. You have seen what the GBH
looks like normally with breeding plumes (the roosting shots, for instance).
These are far longer and thicker than usual. Notice the long plumes on
his back, seen best on the image at right and the two shots below.

Great Blue Heron Alpha Male 1826

Great Blue Heron Alpha Male 1841

The “Groucho Strut”.
(for those who remember Groucho Marx)

Nesting GBH Teaching Flight 5469

Shot from about 250 feet in Wolfeboro, NH,
this nesting GBH is teaching her chicks to fly.

Nesting GBH Teaching Flight 5488

This was pretty far away for 420mm, but the
sequence was well worth staying for the shoot.

Nesting GBH Teaching Flight 5501

Notice one chick is totally ignoring Mom’s
instructions. Typical adolescent behavior.

Nesting GBH Trying Out the Wings 5555

“I think I’ve got it, Mom! Let me give it a try.”
20 shots from the 35 shot sequence are below.

Nesting GBH Teaching Flight SXXL

click for 1200 x 1265 version

Available as an SXXL Composite (6500 x 6750)
(Individual images are 1280 x 1600.)

Great Blue Heron Portrait HS1922

This tight portrait is rare in two respects. First, that I was able to approach a GBH at
Bolsa Chica Refuge closely enough to try it, and second because of the angle, shooting
from about five feet above the bird. The friend I was shooting with was used to quiet approach,
and I think we came up on him so softly he may not have noticed we were there until I took the shot.

Great Blue Heron XXXL

click for 1765 x 1000 version

Available as a XXXL Composite (10656 x 6036)

I’ve got a 50” x 28” matte print of this composite that looks pretty spectacular.

Images on this page are in several different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Featured Birds Collection page.

Select a Gallery containing the type of Egret or Heron image you are interested in.

If you are interested in the Composites, contact Ron Reznick
(contact information is on the Ordering page)

Great Egret

Slightly smaller than the Great Blue Heron, the Great Egret has a
slightly downcurved, somewhat more slender bill, all white plumage and
grayish-black legs. The white morph of the Great Blue Heron in southern Florida
is sometimes confused with the Great Egret, but it has a straight-topped, heavier bill
and yellowish legs. The Great Egret is a very elegant bird that can be a challenge
to expose in many situations, but looks spectacular in flight. Like many egrets,
they take off with the neck extended and fly with their neck retracted in an
S-shape. Because of their short tongues, egrets tend to flip their prey
into the air, then catch it in their gullet. The first shots I caught of the ‘flip’
caused quite a stir in the photographic community, and for a while everyone
was trying to catch this action. Watch a bird for a while and you will recognize the
movement they make before the flip. The prey is in the air for a fraction of a second,
so you have to be quick to catch it centered (or shoot a sequence and hope for the best).

Great Egret X1068

Great Egrets are much easier to approach. This detailed
portrait is available as an XL Signed image at 2848 x 4288.
The image was taken at Bolsa Chica Refuge on an overcast
day, making the exposure much easier to control than usual.

Great Egret Portrait 0129

This mid-day back-lit portrait taken at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge
was far more difficult to expose, but it was such an unusual shot that
it was worth the effort to determine how to expose and process it properly.
The egret was scanning the pond for Tilapia (fish), and I was able to approach
very closely. This was the third shot (after the test and insurance shots), and he had
turned to see what was making that clicking noise, giving me the profile I wanted.

Narcissistic Egret 3131

Shot from the top of the bank, creating an unusual downward angle,
this image has a superb reflection which adds to the composition.

Great Egret Sunrise 3821, 0132

Sunrise shots taken beside a creek on Chincoteague Island, VA (left)
and atop the roof of the bait shack at Bunch Beach, Sanibel Island, FL.

Great Egret Sunrise 3828

Another sunrise Great Egret portrait taken on Chincoteague Island, VA.
This is the site of the hunting sequence that led to the first “Great Egret ‘Flip’”,
which caused a minor furor in the photographic community (images shown below).

Great Egret Sunrise Hunt

Great Egret Hunting

This is the consummate fisher that caused such a stir.
These images were shot just before sunset, and were among the few
that had nice light (it was mostly overcast, but some light peeked through to give
me a few shots like the ones seen in this composite). He was hunting Silversides, a small
fish that requires significant numbers to satisfy a large bird like the Great Egret. He was hunting
 at this spot for quite a while. Most of the images look like those shown below, in soft, low contrast light.

Great Egret Hunting 4094

You can see how small the Silversides are.

Great Egret Hunting 4109

He must have caught 50 or more during the
time I was watching him. A most excellent hunter.

Great Egret Hunting 4125

Great Egret Hunting 4143

Great Egret Hunting 4137

Great Egret Hunting 4138

Great Egret Flip Chincoteague

Here is the “Great Egret ‘Flip’”. Their tongues are rather short,
and the way they get the prey back into their gullet is to flip it in the air,
then strike forward to catch it at the rear of the bill, where the tongue can grab it.

Great Egret Flip 4156

A 1500 pixel version of the image that started photographers
studying these birds so they could predict and capture ‘The Flip’.
Each bird has a ‘tell’, that gives you a half second or so of warning
that they are going to ‘Flip’ the prey. The trick is to watch a bird until
you know it’s ‘tell’ and then shoot a sequence. The prey is in the air
between the jaws for only about 1/4 second or so, and it is very
difficult to get it in one shot, so take four and you may get it.

Great Egret head-on

So... what did you think of that?

More of the head-on shots that I find so comical-looking.

Great Egret Flip 0159

This one, shot during a training session on Sanibel Island, Florida,
caused a lot of controversy. People who saw the shot were sure that I
added the fish later in Photoshop. One fellow even went so far as to write
a fairly long treatise showing what he thought was evidence he gained
from zooming in to the pixel level. I had witnesses (I was teaching
a group of seven people how to shoot wildlife), but he was so
convinced that he was right (and he had supporters who
would not believe this was an unedited image) that I
finally posted the sequence you will see below.

That ended the controversy.

Great Egret with Prey Flip

These shots were all taken within the same second.
They show the entire sequence, from the little downward flick
which constitutes this bird’s ‘tell’ (top left), through the upward head
movement, the opening of the jaws, and the catch at the back of the bill.
It also shows the movement of the bird’s head into the shadow. This
shadow constituted part of the “evidence” of manipulation (light
on the fish was different than light on the bird). End of issue.

Great Egret Mating Plumage 9168

Three portraits taken in mating plumage.

Great Egret Mating Plumage HS0455

Great Egret Mating Plumage X8458

The first two portraits were taken in the early spring, near the end
of the mating season. The one above was shot in December at the
beginning of the season (in different years). The bird above has very
pale legs for a Great Egret, and if it wasn’t for the downturned bill
and the fact that the legs are grey rather than yellow, I may have
identified this as the White Morph of the Great Blue Heron,
(the Great White Heron), but they are on the East Coast
and this Great Egret image was taken in California.

Great Egret Flight X7432, 7433, 7443 SXL

click for 1500 x 1586 version

Available as an SXL Composite (3216 x 3400)

Part of a flight sequence taken at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge,
each of these images are also available separately in XL sizes.

Great Egret Flight X7434

Another of the images in this sequence. There is also a six-shot composite
available showing more of the sequence, previewed on the Sepulveda page.

Great Egret Flight HS4772

One of a set of flight shots taken at Bolsa Chica Refuge from an unusual position (above the bird).

Great Egret Flight X4592, 4593, 4594 SXL

click for 1500 x 1563 version

Available as an SXL Composite (3000 x 3126)

You probably recognize the larger of the three images above as the
image from which I created my copyright clip. These images are also
available separately as XL signed images (shot at Bolsa Chica Refuge).

Great Egret Flight X4592

A 1500 pixel version of the image at the top left of the composite above.
All three images in the composite are available separately as XL signed images.

Great Egret SXXL

click for 2020 x 1200 version

Available as an SXXL Composite (7153 x 4250)

Images on this page are in several different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Featured Birds Collection page.

Select a Gallery containing the type of Egret or Heron image you are interested in.

If you are interested in the Composites, contact Ron Reznick
(contact information is on the Ordering page)

Green Heron

A small heron about the size of the Night Herons, the Green Heron occupies
much the same sort of niche, but is very skittish and hard to get close to without
quite a bit of stealth. They often keep their neck pulled in tight to their body, making
them look very stocky. They have a greenish-black crown, back and wings, a
chestnut brown breast with a white vertical stripe, and yellow eyes with
a white streak below the eyes and bill. A beautifully colored bird.

Green Heron 0283

Green Heron 0294

This fellow was so busy hunting in the marsh
at Balboa Lake that he didn’t notice my approach.

Green Heron 1545

A cropped image shot from across the pond
at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge, just before sunset.

Green Heron Flight 1551

This is what normally happens with ‘Greenies’.
They fly away the moment they see you approach.

Green Heron 1615

This Green Heron was shot at Sanibel Island, Florida.

Little Blue Heron

A small heron resident in the warmer regions of the southeastern US,
the Little Blue Heron is a bird that I have only encountered in Florida as
they do not get to the part of the country which I normally shoot. They have a
blue-gray body, light greenish-yellow legs, and a long bicolor gray to black bill.
In breeding season they have a purple neck with long plumes at the base.
Below, you will see some birds in partial and full breeding color.

Little Blue Heron 1704

A Little Blue surveys the Mangrove swamp from a convenient perch.

Little Blue Heron 1673

This shot was taken from a slightly greater distance and
from a higher angle a bit earlier. The position allowed me to
get the reflection nicely, but the way the light bounced off the bird’s
feathers dulled the color a little. You can’t have everything, I suppose.

Little Blue Heron 0990

A late afternoon trek, looking for food.

Little Blue Heron 1525

Hunting near a group of Ibis just after sunrise.

Little Blue Heron Sunrise 0591

Early in the morning, with low angle light reflecting off the water
and streaking the bird’s feathers, a Little Blue hunts for its breakfast.

Little Blue Heron Sunrise 0604

Little Blue Heron Sunrise 0615

Little Blue Heron Sunrise 0621

I find this image fascinating. The strike was so smooth
that the water was barely disturbed around the bird’s head.

Little Blue Heron 1403

This beautifully colored bird will do a flip for us.

Little Blue Heron 1417

Little Blue Heron with Prey 1419

This image and the one following were both shot within the same second.

Little Blue Heron Flip 1420

Notice that the nictating membrane in front of the eye
is partially closed to protect the eye from any spray.

Little Blue Heron Bad Hair Day 0033

Little Blue Heron with Prey 1434

Little Blue Heron 0944, 947

Two late afternoon portraits, one frontal (hilarious) and one profile.

Little Blue Heron 0928

The Little Blue Heron strut.

Little Blue Heron 0931
 

Little Blue Heron with Snake 9767, 9768

I saw this fellow flying off with a captured snake from about 150 feet down
the beach and I quickly fired off a couple of shots. I have my cameras set to fire
when I press the shutter, regardless of whether or not the target is in focus, so the
first shot is a bit soft as the lens was still tracking. I didn’t want to miss this. The lower
image is a 100% crop (as I mentioned, it was quite a distance down the beach).

Little Blue Heron Sunset 0988

A Little Blue Heron watches the reflection of the sun off the water near sunset on Bunch Beach.

Reddish Egret

Resident in coastal swamps in the Gulf States and in Central and South America,
the Reddish Egret was once hunted for its plumes and is now a threatened species.
It is estimated that there are only around 2000 breeding pairs in the US. This is another
bird that does not live in the areas where I normally shoot, so the only individuals that
I have seen were in Florida. It is a very active bird and is quite striking as well.

Reddish Egret 0619

The color of the reflected foliage off of the water is a perfect complement to this beautiful egret.

Reddish Egret 0632

Reddish Egret 1620

Reddish Egret 1475, 1477

As I’m sure you have noticed by now, I love taking head-on portraits
(as well as profiles, of course), due to the look it gives to long-beaked birds.

Reddish Egret 2146

Some scenic portraits of Reddish Egrets.

Reddish Egret 9852
 

Reddish Egret 1626

Reddish Egret 9846

A couple of “Egret Strut” shots...

Reddish Egret 9844

Taken near the spot shown in the first image.

Reddish Egret 0644

Reddish Egret 0639

Reddish Egret 0643

Perched on a barnacle-encrusted fallen tree limb, looking for his next feast.

Reddish Egret 1483

Passing in front of a defocused White Ibis on an early morning hunt.

Reddish Egret Mangrove 1589

A Reddish Egret perched on Mangrove roots, perfectly reflected in the waters of the swamp.

Images on this page are in several different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Featured Birds Collection page.

Select a Gallery containing the type of Egret or Heron image you are interested in.

If you are interested in the Composites, contact Ron Reznick
(contact information is on the Ordering page)

Snowy Egret

Every time I run into a Snowy Egret, something interesting seems to happen.
This makes them one of the birds that I am most excited to encounter, because I
am always entertained in one way or another. Selecting these images was definitely
a difficult proposition because I have a lot of neat shots of these fellows. They are a
medium sized bird with white plumage, yellow eyes, lores and feet, a gray-black
slender bill and black, yellow, or black-and-yellow legs. A Snowy shown below
offered a most interesting sequence of hunting shots due to his unique style
(floating over the water and striking while nearly hovering). You’ll like it.

Dancing Snowy Egret X0693

Taken at Bolsa Chica on an overcast afternoon.

Snowy Egret 3379

Two portraits. One perched on a rock...

Snowy Egret 3416

... and one while looking for prey.

Snowy Egret 3663

The roots in the background create a perfect frame over the head of this hunting Snowy.

Snowy Egret Hunting X0751

A typical shoreline hunting sequence taken at Bolsa Chica Refuge.

Snowy Egret Hunting X0757

Snowy Egret Hunting X0761

Snowy Egret Hunting X0755c

A detail crop from a larger image, showing a strike entry.

Snowy Egret Hunting X0765

Snowy Egret Hunting X0763

Just before the strike at left.

Snowy Egret Hunting X0774

Snowy Egret Hunting X0770

Snowy Egret Hunting X0812

Snowy Egret Hunting X5416

This bird has the most unusual hunting style of any Snowy I have ever seen.
Below you will see some detail crops and a large composite of the hunting sequence.

This is the takeoff shot.

Snowy Egret Hunting X5442

A strike while floating over the water. Note the reflection on the wing.

Snowy Egret Hunting X5456

A detail crop of the egret slowly floating over the water looking for prey.

Snowy Egret Hunting X5466

The ‘wasp’ look he gave me at the end of the sequence.

Snowy Egret Hunting XXXL

click for 1500 x 996 version

Available as a XXXL Composite (11290 x 7500)

20 of the best shots in the sequence, assembled into a composite.

I also created subsets of this composite. One can be seen
 as the lower part of the composite shown below (it is also
available separately). A 16-shot SXXL version is on the
Sepulveda Wildlife Gallery page, and there are three
digitally-framed versions (12, 16 and 20 images).

Snowy Egret SXL

click for 1302 x 1200 version

Available as a SXL Composite (3920 x 3613)

Each of the composite sections are also available separately:
(SnowyEgret_BolsaChica_XLsigned and SnowyEgret_Hunting_XLsigned).

Snowy Egret Tracks HS5130

A Snowy strutting across a well-tracked shoreline near sunset.

This image and the one below are from the upper section of the composite shown previously.

Snowy Egret Sunset HS5141

Surveying the Bolsa Chica marsh as the sun starts to set over the Pacific.

Snowy Egret Sunrise 1885

A Snowy watches the sunrise at Bunch Beach on Sanibel Island, Florida.

Snowy Egret Sunrise 1888

Strutting through the turbulent surf. Absolutely superb light.

Snowy Egret with Prey Sunrise 0200

A Snowy grabs a good-sized fish near the pier at Bunch Beach.

Snowy Egret Juvenile Sunrise 0164

Note the greenish lores (the area between
the eye and the bill), the pale bicolored bill
and greenish-yellow legs of this young bird.

Snowy Egret Sunrise 0182

This adult bird has deep yellow lores,
bright yellow rear legs with black forelegs
and yellow feet (hidden in the water).

Snowy Egret with Prey Sunrise 0184

Snowy Egret with Prey Sunrise 0178

You’re going to enjoy this. He didn’t...

Snowy Egret Fish Story XXL

click for 1302 x 1200 version

Available as a XXL Composite (4652 x 3311)

I can hear it now. This fellow goes back to his friends and tells them:

“I had this great fish. Really I did. I showed it to everyone. Then this darned seagull
flew right in front of my face, splashing down right next to me. It made me drop my fish.
No, really! I’m not making this up. It was a great fish. You’ve got to believe me!”

Snowy Egret Losing Prey Sunrise 0190

Snowy Egret Losing Prey Sunrise 0192

Snowy Egret Sunrise 0207 M

A large (979 x 1478) M-sized frontal portrait at sunrise.

Snowy Egret Sunrise 0235

Snowy Egret Sunrise 0252

Snowy Egret Sunrise 0245, 0249

The majority of the images I took that morning were facing right as the beach
faces northwest. The left side of the bird’s faces were shadowed unless they
gave me a full profile, like the fellow above did. I took quite a number of shots
that morning, as it was rare for me to get this close to Snowy Egrets and light
like this is rare in my experience. Those are my excuses... I’m sticking to them.

Snowy Egret Sunrise 0142 M

A large (1137 x 1421) M-sized sunrise portrait.

Snowy Egret Sunrise 0232 M

In this 1077 x 1425 M-sized portrait you can get a good close look at the
yellow feet, yellow and black legs, yellow lores, and other details of an adult Snowy.

Snowy Egret Flight HS4713

Snowy Egret Flight HS4593

Two Bolsa Chica flight shots.

Snowy Egret Sunset Flight HS6188

This flight shot was taken at sunset over Ballona Creek near the Pacific Ocean.

Tricolored Heron

The Tricolored Heron is a bit larger than the Reddish Egret, and is resident
in the sub-tropical swamps of the Gulf States, Central and South America. It is
another bird that does not frequent the areas in which I normally shoot, so it is a
bird which I encountered only when shooting in Florida during a training session.
It has a blue-gray neck, head, back and wings, a white stripe down the neck,
yellow lores and legs, and in breeding season the base of the neck is a
 reddish-purple. This bird has quite a lot of character, and I think that
one fell in love with my camera... you’ll see what I mean below.

Tricolor Heron 2138

The speckled surface of the water creates an interesting background to this strutting Tricolor.

Tricolor Heron 1643

Standing on the bank formed of sediment
and embedded shell, this Tricolor scans the
swamp for prey at mid-day. At right is a shot
taken from the top of the bank after he hopped
up onto a promontory higher over the swamp. It
offers a good look at the reddish-brown plumes
adorning the back of this strikingly colored bird.

Tricolor Heron 1650

Tricolor Heron Display 1533

The obligatory frontal portrait. I love this look...

I think this bird was infatuated either with me or the camera lens.
It gave me a mating display. Below are a few of the images and a preview
of the entire sequence in a XXXL composite image. You’re going to enjoy this.

Tricolor Heron Display 1534

Tricolor Heron Display 1541

Tricolor Heron Display 1542

Tricolor Heron Display 1548

“Hey... look at me! Aren’t I cool?”

Below are two composites showing shots in the display sequence.
The second version shows the entire sequence in a XXXL Composite.

Tricolor Heron Character XXL

click for 1378 x 1200 version

Available as a XXL Composite (4938 x 4300)

Tricolor Heron Display XXXL

click for 1500 x 1029 version

Available as a XXXL Composite (9916 x 6800)

This is the only time a bird has ever done a mating display specifically for me.

Images on this page are in several different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Featured Birds Collection page.

Select a Gallery containing the type of Egret or Heron image you are interested in.

If you are interested in the Composites, contact Ron Reznick
(contact information is on the Ordering page)