Dancing dark morph Reddish Egret – Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/1000, ISO 200, Nikkor 70-300mm VR at 300mm, natural light
These two Reddish Egrets; a dark and a white morph, were photographed on the same day at Fort De Soto’s north beach in May of 2009 and both of them were showing signs of being in breeding plumage. This dark morph wasn’t quite in full breeding plumage because the bill would be pinker and the lores a deeper blue if it were but it was close. Dark morphs are far more common than white morphs and I felt lucky to photograph both morphs on the same day.
I photographed this Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens) in a tidal lagoon while sitting in the water as the bird danced around me on the hunt for prey. My Nikkor 80-400mm VR was off being repaired so that day I was using my Nikkor 70-300mm VR for all the bird images I took. This egret was so busy hunting that it paid me no mind at all as it rushed around the lagoon. There were a few times I thought the bird was going to run right into me.
I like the bird’s pose, eye contact and the action this image conveys as well as how it shows the water, shore, wrack line and the sand dune in the background.
Hunting white morph Reddish Egret – Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/1250, ISO 250, Nikkor 70-300mm VR at 250mm, natural light
This white morph Reddish Egret was busy hunting in the Gulf of Mexico when I photographed it. It’s lores are a deep purplish blue and the black-tipped bill is very pink. I was sitting on the sand of the shoreline as the egret raced around trying to catch prey where the waves broke and like the dark morph, this bird all but ignored my presence.
Reddish Egrets are sometimes called “Drunken Sailors” because of their movements while hunting, they often wobble, twirl, dance and seem to stumble. It is very amusing and entertaining to see and photograph and they never failed to delight me.
White Morph of Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens) – The Dancer Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/1250, ISO 250, Nikkor 70-300mm VR at 250mm, natural light, not baited
Reddish Egrets seem to be natural born “Dancers” when they are hunting for prey, they twirl, spin, pir0quette and dip. They can look very funny, goofy and yet still be graceful. I came across this Reddish Egret white morph while photographing with a friend at Fort De Soto’s north beach one morning and it provided us with at least half an hour of entertainment.
I’ve heard that you can only get shots like this with long lenses but I don’t think that holds true in every situation. This photo was taken using my Nikkor 70-300mm VR lens at only 250mm and this wasn’t much of a crop. One of the reasons I was able to be this close to this Reddish Egret was because the birds at Fort De Soto are used to having humans around and they are less flighty because of that. Another reason is that I either sat or laid down on the beach so that my low profile was less threatening to the egret than it would have been if I had been standing up.
White Morph of Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens) – a Ballet Pose Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/1250, ISO 250, Nikkor 70-300mm VR at 250mm, natural light, not baited
This white morph is in breeding plumage shown by the pink bill and the blue lores. Reddish Egrets can be found almost all year long at Fort De Soto, the only time I was really aware of their absence was after a tropical storm swept through the Gulf coast. Reddish Egrets frequent mudflats, tidal lagoons and along the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico.
Watching and photographing them as they dance through the warm waters chasing prey is a spectacular sight. It is mesmerizing for a bird photographer like myself.
Reddish Egret splashing while hunting Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
D200, f6.3, 1/800, ISO 250, 80-400mm VR at 300mm, natural light
The Reddish Egret(Egretta rufescens)is one of my favorite wading birds. Standing still they are a delight to the eyes, while hunting they can perform amazing turns, twists, gallops and appear to be dancing. They are very entertaining to say the least. Reddish Egrets come in two forms, a dark form as shown in the image above and a white morph. When they are in breeding plumage as the egret is in the images I am posting today the pink bill is pronounced and there is a purplish blue by the lores.
Reddish Egret hunting by the sand dunes Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida
D200, f6.3, 1/750, ISO 250, 80-400mm VR at 300mm, natural light
Reddish Egrets are endemic to the Americas, occurring year round in coastal lagoons of Florida and the Gulf Coast. They are primarily nonmigratory and are occasionally seen in California and a few other western states during the winters months.
Reddish egrets can live up to 12 years and eat small fish. They run across the waters of tidal mudflats when hunting and quite often use a method of “canopy feeding”, or forming an umbrella with their wings to create a shadow over the water and when they see small fish, they pounce.
I’ll be posting more about the Reddish Egrets later, you can count on that. I am fascinated by them.
