wading birds

Pair of Reddish Egrets Fighting Over Food

By |2018-02-16T05:32:23-06:00February 16th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Reddish Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

I had been photographing just one Reddish Egret dancing in the waves as it caught fish after fish and fought with the Ring-billed and Laughing Gulls over its prey when a second Reddish Egret flew in.

Great Egret – Snowy Egret Size and Appearance Comparison

By |2024-02-18T16:07:23-06:00February 1st, 2018|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Egrets, Pinellas County, Snowy Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

There are some other differences between Great and Snowy Egrets in appearance of course but I think the comparisons I have written about are the most helpful for me in the field for identification and may be for other people too.

Two American Bitterns – My Best Finds of the Day

By |2023-12-18T10:27:34-06:00January 18th, 2018|Categories: American Bitterns, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

My best finds of the day yesterday morning were two American Bitterns on the riverbank of the Bear River at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, birds I do not normally see in January here in northern Utah.

What To Do When A Snowy Egret Flyby Is Too Close – Keep Firing

By |2021-05-21T04:26:00-05:00January 17th, 2018|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Snowy Egrets, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

So what did I do? I kept firing as the Snowy Egret flew past me keeping my focus on the eye of the bird and that is when I took this photograph of the egret in flight.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron In Low Light

By |2021-07-03T04:10:20-05:00January 4th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Yellow-crowned Night Herons|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The first bird I photographed that day was a Yellow-crowned Night Heron wandering in the sea fog near the dunes and shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico.

Ring-billed Gull, Great Blue Heron & a Stormy Sky

By |2017-12-26T05:23:26-06:00December 26th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Great Blue Herons, Ring-billed Gulls, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I really wanted some nice bird photos to remember Christmas Day 2017 and I found them but just a few blocks away from home at the local pond.

Great Blue Heron in Flight With The Wasatch Mountains In The Background

By |2021-04-22T04:56:09-05:00December 20th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Great Blue Herons, Salt Lake County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

It isn't everyday I get to see and photograph a Great Blue Heron in flight with the Wasatch Mountains in the background but I had that opportunity two afternoons ago at a pond close to home.

December for Utah and Florida Great Blue Herons – What a Difference

By |2021-04-17T18:27:21-05:00December 9th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The lives of these Great Blue Herons sure are different when you compare December in Utah to December in Florida.

Stretching Green Heron at Sawgrass Lake Park

By |2021-05-28T11:49:08-05:00November 8th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Green Herons, Pinellas County, Sawgrass Lake Park|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This Green Heron was photographed from and elevated boardwalk at Sawgrass Lake Park, it had been preening when I walked slowly up to it and when it stretched its wing I took this image.

Immature Reddish Egret & Adult in Flight with Nesting Material

By |2021-03-03T07:00:50-06:00November 5th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Lassing Park, Pinellas County, Reddish Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Immature or adult, dark or white morph, Reddish Egrets are spectacular and fascinating wading birds to see, observe and photograph.

Wading Birds At Bear River MBR Yesterday

By |2022-04-29T05:09:14-05:00September 11th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Great Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I had fun photographing the juvenile Great Blue Heron, juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron and the adult Snowy Egret yesterday at Bear River MBR. I especially loved the clearer skies.

Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron Encounter at Bear River NWR

By |2021-05-05T14:10:21-05:00August 25th, 2017|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It was a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron encounter on the auto tour route at the refuge and the resulting photos that made me smile the most when I viewed the images on my monitor at home

Great Blue Herons and the Great Salt Lake

By |2021-04-17T18:29:42-05:00August 14th, 2017|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It does seem odd though to see Great Blue Herons hanging around the Great Salt Lake after the chicks have fledged like this immature heron I photographed yesterday near the causeway.

White-faced Ibis at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

By |2023-11-07T08:38:04-06:00August 2nd, 2017|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, White-faced Ibises|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge was calling me yesterday morning and I answered that call and photographed several White-faced Ibis from the auto tour route.

Gray & Windy Day Great Blue Heron Portrait

By |2021-04-17T18:31:46-05:00July 30th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

This Great Blue Heron wandered past me one December morning at Fort De Soto County Park's north beach on a gray, windy day and because it was close I simply had to take a photo of the large wading bird.

Snowy Egret Wading in Dark Water

By |2021-05-21T04:32:55-05:00June 23rd, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Snowy Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

I knew when I photographed this Snowy Egret in a shallow lagoon at Fort De Soto County Park that the dark reflections of the mangroves and mangrove roots on the water would produce a high contrast image.

Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron Close Up Experience

By |2021-05-05T14:15:18-05:00May 24th, 2017|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning I drove up to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge to see what birds I could find to photograph and I am glad I did because I had a wonderful juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron close up experience.

White Ibis in a Lagoon – Getting Down & Dirty for the Low Angle Photo

By |2017-04-15T05:16:27-05:00April 15th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, White Ibises|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

I was able to take a nice series of low angle images of this White Ibis in the blue lagoon by staying still as it hunted for food with my lens about an inch or two above the water.

Missing the Birds of Bear River MBR & Spring Migration

By |2024-03-27T06:30:01-05:00April 9th, 2017|Categories: American Avocets, American White Pelicans, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Box Elder County, Clark's Grebes, Double-crested Cormorants, Long-billed Dowitchers, Short-eared Owls, Utah, Wilson's Phalaropes|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge auto tour route is still closed and many of the birders, bird photographers and nature lovers are itching to know what birds are there because after all spring migration is an exciting time at the refuge.

Age Related Color Morphs of Little Blue Herons

By |2024-03-14T04:01:20-05:00March 22nd, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Little Blue Herons, Pinellas County, Roosevelt Wetlands|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Little Blue Herons start off their lives with white plumage, then look piebald with blue and white fathers and finally look more "blue" as adults.

Flooding at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge – Road Closure

By |2024-03-20T05:28:32-05:00February 27th, 2017|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Tundra Swans, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I am anxious to get out to the Bear River MBR auto tour loop of the refuge to see what migrants have flown in but right now that isn't possible and there isn't any information on when the road will open again

Strolling Yellow-crowned Night Heron – Thinking Back on Brighter, Warmer Days

By |2017-01-20T07:56:51-06:00January 10th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Yellow-crowned Night Herons|Tags: , , , , , , , |

This morning my mind drifted back to June of 2009, to a bright, warm day on the Gulf coast of Florida and a strolling Yellow-crowned Night Heron that I photographed as waves churned up behind it.

Paying Attention to the Birds Beyond My Subject – The Surprise Curlew Behind the Reddish Egret

By |2020-07-24T06:23:24-05:00January 6th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Long-billed Curlews, Pinellas County, Reddish Egrets|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I kept this photo of the Reddish Egret with the surprise curlew in the background not because it is a great image but to remind myself to look beyond the subject in front of me.

Immature Great Blue Heron in a Snow Storm

By |2021-04-17T18:37:25-05:00December 30th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

As I focused on the Great Blue Heron I could tell it was an immature bird braving its first winter alone in the marshes of Farmington Bay.

Green Heron at Sawgrass Lake Park – From My Early Days of Being a Bird Photographer

By |2021-05-28T11:51:05-05:00December 10th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Florida, Green Herons, Pinellas County, Sawgrass Lake Park|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I photographed this Green Heron at Sawgrass Lake Park in Pinellas County, Florida with my first DSLR, a Nikon D70, when I was just getting into bird photography.

Pair of immature Great Blue Herons in a nest in Florida

By |2023-03-06T04:48:37-06:00December 4th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Florida, Great Blue Herons, John Chesnut Sr. Park, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

The Great Blue Herons here in Utah are dealing with ice, snow and bitter cold temperatures now but the Great Blue Herons in Florida they have started courting and building their nests.

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