Tuesday, August 30, 2011

World Bird Wednesday - Stalking an Egret


Last week, while staying with my sister in Melbourne, I had a
chance to check out the wetlands in Rowville near the golf course.
Actually, I was just stretching my legs with a camera trying to
capture some suburban birds when I spied this guy far across a
swampy meadow. A 135mm lens is not the ideal weapon for
shooting at this range, so I lined myself up with the scant cover
of the bush at right and squelched my way down until I was right
behind it.


Even before I was in position, I felt him watching my progress
and when I broke cover for a better shot,


he was decidedly skittish -


and took to the air just enough


to land again near the reeds. This is an Intermediate Egret,
as far as I could tell, Ardea intermedia. Unfortunately his
mate was killed and now he mourns his loss and lives a
hermitic existence since egrets usually mate for life.



Click to enlarge.
Next week I'll give you a short burst of the common suburban birds
in the area.

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27 comments:

  1. you did well to catch him like you did. sad that he's alone.

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  2. He's quite at home in the lush surrounds - great captures of this beautifully elegant bird.

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  3. You have captured some wonderful pictures here.

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  4. Delightful indeed! And what a beautiful bird. Marvelous captures as always! Hope you have a lovely day!

    Sylvia

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  5. mates for life along with geese and owls. no chance for a seond marriage? that makes me sad :^)

    the photo in flight is wonderful


    kj

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  6. Great photos of the Egret. Your progress through the shrubs sounds like really dedicated bird watching!

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  7. Has spring sprung yet? We are getting better weather. Though it is forecast another polar blast this weekend.

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  8. A sad story about a handsome bird.

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  9. You did a wonderful job, sneaking up to him, love the last shot!!

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  10. I didn't know that about Egrets. So, if you just see one, it means they've lost their mate? Very interesting. Great captures!

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  11. You did it perfectly! Lovely shots!

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  12. Good post!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  13. What a sad, solitary fellow. You did a great job stalking and shooting!

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  14. Lovely images of a beutiful bird...I love the flight shot.

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  15. You did a great job of getting these pictures, even if you didn't have a proper lens. The pictures are wonderful.

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  16. They are a lovely bird aren't they? In the past few years they have become quite a common sight in the UK - something to do with global warming or so they say.

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  17. I love the shot of flight. I use to think these birds were rare, seeing one or three here and there. Then one trip to Hawaii, I saw what seemed to be a thousand of them!

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  18. Great series on the egret. They are beautiful birds.

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  19. Stalking is part of the fun :)

    He's a beauty, well worth the effort.

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  20. I love the stalking! I have a 400mm lens so I stand mightily impress with your skills using a much shorter lens. I read a story recently showing what kind of tricks a "real" pro photographer used to get his pictures. The fake set up hardly seemed ethical. Your images are the real deal! Bravo!

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  21. Beauty...sheer beauty...thanks for commenting on my dog blog. Your offerings are so enlightening...many thanks!

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  22. Egrets are so elegant and your photos are lovely.

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  23. Oh, the joys and trials of stalking! I did not know they mate for life and I really didn't know that means they live like a hermit if one or the other is killed! Do they never find a new mate?

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