I took this Great Egret portrait at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma in June while I was visiting my friend and fellow photographer, Steve Creek.

Great Egret portrait at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, OklahomaGreat Egret portrait at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge – Canon R7, f8, 1/1600, ISO 1000, -0.7 EV, Canon RF 100-500mm at 500mm, natural light

One morning, there were several egrets and herons foraging in an area called Miner’s Cove at the refuge. This Great Egret came closest to where Steve and I were, in his pickup, using it as a mobile blind.

Regular readers on my site know that I enjoy taking portraits of my subjects. In fact, I can’t resist taking them when my subjects come close to me. This egret was no exception.

I really enjoyed being able to take this portrait. What I liked most about it was the morning light, the shadow falling on the azolla in the background, and the great eye contact I had with the egret.

Because of the warm morning light, the Azolla in the background looked browner than the bright red in another Great Egret photo I had taken earlier in June at this same location. For more information on Azolla, be sure to check out that post by clicking the link above.

I still have more photos that I want to share from my visit with Steve at the refuge and this cove. Most of the birds I saw there were foraging for breakfast. The herons and egrets seemed to be especially active in that area of the refuge in June.

Visiting the refuge with Steve and his dog Rosie was such great fun for me. My eyes were always busy trying to memorize the geography of the area and trying to spot subjects to photograph. It truly is a spectacular refuge.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my Great Egret photos plus facts and information about this species.