Reddish Egret Displays

Gallery: AvianPosted March 24, 2016315 views18 comments

I just returned back from our South Texas workshop, spring breeding and migration seems like it's a couple of weeks early this year as there were already nesting egrets and courting spoonbills on the rookery islands off of Rockport, TX, usually this wouldn't be going on until about the 1st week of April. I captured these 2 Reddish Egrets that I think were probably both males trying to scare off each other and stake out territory. I cloned out a dark sliver at the bottom.
Canon 5D3 500F4 1/2500 F8, iso 640, manual exposure handheld from boat

Comments

18 comments

Comment posted by Dan Kearl on March 24, 2016 at 6:53 PM

Fun image... Nice getting both sharp and the comp works very well.

Registered on September 2, 2013, 209 Posts, 1514 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Sandor on March 24, 2016 at 8:18 PM

Excellent Nate. It looks like the birds were suspended in space. The birds stand out very nicely against the background. What is the b/g by the way? Richard

Registered on January 12, 2014, 453 Posts, 1625 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on March 24, 2016 at 8:31 PM

Thanks Dan and Richard. Richard the background is sky.

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on March 24, 2016 at 8:45 PM

They look like ballet dancers. Really unusual poses. Well done.

Registered on January 6, 2012, 651 Posts, 3448 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Leggett on March 24, 2016 at 9:21 PM

Wow, Nate! This is a real treat to get not one, but two white morphs in one frame. Super cool devil

Registered on July 21, 2004, 706 Posts, 3233 Comments

Comment posted by Neil Williams on March 25, 2016 at 12:24 AM

Nice capture
Neil

Registered on March 8, 2016, 22 Posts, 24 Comments

Comment posted by Hans Overduin on March 25, 2016 at 12:28 PM

Wow..... Dumbstruck ... Silent.... What a great shot, a gem ! Congrats ... speechless... still enlightened

, Hans

Registered on August 31, 2011, 491 Posts, 3807 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on March 26, 2016 at 12:23 AM

Killer behavior action you captured here Nate, the flared crests make this one for me devil

Love the contrast of the white birds against the gray sky too.

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by John Robinson on March 26, 2016 at 5:13 AM

Great dancing Egrets if ever. ! Bird positions exquisite.
JohnR

Registered on March 2, 2008, 535 Posts, 2453 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Zablotny on March 26, 2016 at 7:49 AM

Looks pretty good Nate. The larger sliver free version is fun to look at..............................Jim

Registered on January 17, 2004, 705 Posts, 3594 Comments

Comment posted by John MacTavish on March 26, 2016 at 8:56 AM

Really great shot
Almost look like two string puppets

Registered on March 23, 2016, 3 Posts, 21 Comments

Comment posted by Charles Gangas on March 26, 2016 at 9:13 AM

Nice action and comp, and good depth of field Nate. devil

Registered on August 12, 2009, 544 Posts, 2414 Comments

Comment posted by Jerry Taylor on March 26, 2016 at 11:35 AM

Terrific shot. Love the frozen action of these.

Registered on May 28, 2015, 22 Posts, 26 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on March 26, 2016 at 1:29 PM

From the hand of a master photographer—perfect! devil

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by John Launstein on March 26, 2016 at 10:22 PM

Umm yeah. Pretty sure those are marionettes, but whatever you say, Nate. enlightened

Very cool capture and actually quite nice light for full detail throughout the plumage. Definitely has the ballet feel mentioned above...art in multiple forms here! laugh

Registered on April 5, 2011, 223 Posts, 1193 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on March 27, 2016 at 7:47 AM

Nice double Nate. I've always been a fan of this sort of suspended pose.

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by William Bickle on March 28, 2016 at 3:18 PM

Hello Nate,...WOW.. GREAT action and both sharply focused !!! My first to see young reddish egrets.. Thanks for sharing.

A competition Winner !!!

Bill
www.BillBickle.com

Registered on June 13, 2011, 183 Posts, 1702 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on March 28, 2016 at 7:31 PM

Thanks for your nice comments everyone.
Bill I should have added that these are adult white-morph Reddish Egrets, an uncommon color phase.

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments