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Soft Landing - Snowy Heron

John at the BeachJohn at the Beach Registered Users Posts: 32 Big grins
edited July 8, 2009 in Wildlife
Landing and not scaring the minnows away is tricky, but not for this guy...
Hardly made a ripple...

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    Bud1880Bud1880 Registered Users Posts: 500 Major grins
    edited July 7, 2009
    Very pretty shot John. thumb.gif That is some landing too, he's obviously had lots of experience. :D

    Bud
    www.dabudman.com
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    John at the BeachJohn at the Beach Registered Users Posts: 32 Big grins
    edited July 7, 2009
    Thanks
    Bud....
    Thanks for taking a look and leaving a comment...I watched this guy for about 45 minutes...His fishing skills were awesome...He didn't leave hungry...:eat
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    dlplumerdlplumer Registered Users Posts: 8,081 Major grins
    edited July 7, 2009
    Nice capture John clap.gif
    Dan
    http://danielplumer.com/
    Facebook Fan Page
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    IntrepidBerkeleyExplorerIntrepidBerkeleyExplorer Registered Users Posts: 80 Big grins
    edited July 7, 2009
    Perhaps a Snowy Egret
    I was driven crazy trying to properly identify birds even before getting into photography. Receiving, as a present, the Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds, failed to help much.

    But I decided to gain confidence focusing upon Egrets, where the odds are pretty good.

    So I believe your lovely bird would be a Snowy Egret rather than a Snowy Heron, which isn't even in the book.

    Still a magnificent picture by either name.
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    John at the BeachJohn at the Beach Registered Users Posts: 32 Big grins
    edited July 8, 2009
    Id....
    Thanks IBE...After reading your message I did a google myself and came up with this....

    " orange-arrow.gifSnowy Egret - medium sized white heron found near water. The Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) is a small white heron. It is the American counterpart to the very similar Old World Little Egret, which has established a foothold in the Bahamas.
    Adults are typically 61 cm long and weigh 375 g. They have a slim black bill and long black legs with yellow feet. The area of the upper bill, in front of the eyes, is yellow but turns red during the breeding season, when the adults also gain recurved plumes on the back, making for a "shaggy" effect.
    Their breeding habitat is large inland and coastal wetlands from the lower Great Lakes and southwestern United States to South America. The breeding range in eastern North America extends along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts from Maine to Texas, and inland along major rivers and lakes. They nest in colonies, often with other waders, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. Their flat, shallow nests are made of sticks and lined with fine twigs and rushes. Three to four greenish-blue, oval eggs are incubated by both adults. The young leave the nest in 20 to 25 days and hop about on branches near the nest before finally departing.
    In warmer locations, some Snowy Egret are permanent residents; northern populations migrate to Central America and the West Indies.
    The birds eat fish, crustaceans, and insects. They stalk prey in shallow water, often running or shuffling their feet, flushing prey into view, as well "dip-fishing" by flying with their feet just over the water. Snowy Egrets may also stand still and wait to ambush prey, or hunt for insects stirred up by domestic animals in open fields."


    This comes from this link.........
    http://www.surfbirds.com/namericanbirds/heron-egret.html

    Like you, it drives me nuts not knowing what I have a shot of...I took a photo of the Snowy several years ago and posted it as an Egret...I was corrected back then telling me it was a Heron...So I stuck with Heron...Now with your message I am back to Egret....Reading several places that I have googled, I now see that He/She is a Snowy Egret which is a member of the Heron family....So what do you think about calling this guy either one....Snowy Heron or Snowy Egret...ne_nau.gif...
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    TosserTosser Registered Users Posts: 65 Big grins
    edited July 8, 2009
    Whatever you call him - great shot.
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    John at the BeachJohn at the Beach Registered Users Posts: 32 Big grins
    edited July 8, 2009
    Thanks...
    Thanks Tosser....but I do want to be "Politically Correct"....:nah
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    HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited July 8, 2009
    Excellent capture, nice job on the exposure. The subject is too centered in the frame. You may want to try recropping it with less space in frame right. A portrait mode crop may work very well with this image.
    Harry
    http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
    How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
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    Darren Troy CDarren Troy C Registered Users Posts: 1,927 Major grins
    edited July 8, 2009
    Great capture!

    Rule of thumb....

    Snowy Egret - Black bill, yellow feet
    White Heron - Yellow bill, black feet

    :D
    http://DarrenTroyCphotography.com/
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