Cattle Egret

Gallery: AvianPosted November 12, 20171,170 views6 comments

Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)

Gilbert Water Ranch, AZ
Date: January 2, 2011, 8:58 am
Equipment: Nikon D200, AF-S Nikkor 300 f/2.8D ED-IF, TC20E (2x), Gitzo G1325 tripod, Sidekick, RRS-BH 55 ball head
Exposure: ISO 400, Aperture priority matrix meter, 1/1250th @ f/8, -2/3rds ec
Raw, PS CC 2017 on Mac, 52% of full frame

Another from the archives that I’m just finding as I clean up my backlog.

If possible please view the large version before commenting. Cattle Egrets appear to be in decline in AZ (and elsewhere), and I don’t get to see them every year here any more.

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by David Schoen on November 12, 2017 at 3:41 PM

Certainly an interesting pose. I really like the way it contrasts against its environment.

Registered on November 6, 2006, 1213 Posts, 4587 Comments

Comment posted by Allen Brooks on November 12, 2017 at 5:38 PM

Pops nicely against the background. I like the intent look in its eye.

Registered on July 27, 2011, 262 Posts, 2597 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on November 12, 2017 at 6:06 PM

An interesting pose and an excellent job on the whites, Richard. The light really works well to bring out the feather contours.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Barbara Graham on November 12, 2017 at 10:33 PM

January, it looks like it's got the first tiny bits of breeding plumage on the top of its head. Would that be right?

Here's something bizarre from an almost lifelong Floridian. I didn't know you had Cattle Egrets in places like Arizona. I thought they were kind of a Florida thing (and never thought of looking it up), and I've only ever seen them with a background of green. So this is really something I wouldn't have expected.

Wonderful job on the whites and the feathers. The exposure must have been pretty much perfect.

Registered on July 27, 2010, 1310 Posts, 5035 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on November 12, 2017 at 10:56 PM

January, it looks like it's got the first tiny bits of breeding plumage on the top of its head. Would that be right?

Yes, the breeding colors are just starting to show on the crown. I'll have to look at some other shots with more color in them to see what month they were taken.

Here's something bizarre from an almost lifelong Floridian. I didn't know you had Cattle Egrets in places like Arizona. I thought they were kind of a Florida thing (and never thought of looking it up), and I've only ever seen them with a background of green. So this is really something I wouldn't have expected.

Cattle Egrets have a strange distribution in North America. Primary breeding range is in the southeastern states, with a few disjoint areas scattered around the Great Plains and West. They breed in a limited area in central AZ. These birds are native to Africa and only started showing up in the U.S. around 1952 when some apparently hitched a ride across the Atlantic. They then expanded from a small group of settlers on the southern coast into their current range. Something similar happened with Glossy Ibis if I recall correctly.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Hans Overduin on November 13, 2017 at 2:17 PM

Nice to see a hint of breeding plumage on the head ! Well-exposed as well. Cheers, Hans

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