Notes to Self. Snowy Egret

 

Returning to photos that were taken months ago, but not yet edited, gives you a completely different feeling. 

You can finally look at them without bias.  That's exactly what happened when I looked at some unedited photos of this beautiful Snowy Egret.  

At some point I saw the swamp and Egret in black and white and colors suddenly became less attractive than they once were.

Maybe it's my mood today, or maybe that morning was cloudy and dull and mercilessly erased all the colors.

Generally, life is good.

Portraits of Snowy Egret

 

The portraits I took of this Snowy Egret are different from the others that I have done before. These portraits are backlit when light comes from the behind the bird. 

I don't fear any more shadows and the loss of some details in the bird's plumage. It somehow faded into the background and all that remained was the desire just to photograph a bird as it is.

 

Generally, life is good.

Yesterday - I.

 

Yesterday the Bear River greeted me with strong, gusty wind, which died down just before sunset.  But this was not something special; what was special and surprising was a group of four Snowy Egret that behaved unusually.

First, they didn't care at all about my presence or so it seemed but when they stood on the rocks they always were looking in my direction and checking if I was still there.

Then they usually flew to the bridge where I was standing, completely ignoring me. I wish I could be ignored like this all the time.

 

Sometimes I just needed to take a few steps back because Egrets were in such a close proximity that my lens had a difficult time to focus.

And to my big surprise, one Egret even walked toward me on the road.  True, he very soon came to his senses and flew away.

I was fascinated by yesterday’s behavior of these extraordinary birds and could not find a decent explanation for it. Maybe it has something to do with the wind, although I doubt it.

Generally, life is good.

Snowy Egret is Looking for Early Breakfast

 

I took these photos at the end of September at the Bear River MBR. It was a peaceful and warm morning. The small flock of Snowy Egrets were wandering the swamp, looking for early breakfast.

One of Egrets from the flock was closer than the others and I decided to focused mainly on this bird and its behavior.

Generally, life is good.