White Morph Reddish Egret Catching, but not releasing

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Late in the afternoon on November 10 2021 at the beach on Bolivar Flats in Texas, the combination of the rising tide and the configuration of the underlying sand created a temporary pool of water that was being actively fished by a single White Morph Reddish Egret, a Black-bellied Plover, and a couple of Willets. Later, two Marbled Godwits joined the crowd. I was able to get to the west of the pool without disturbing the birds and acquire many images of the ongoing activity.

White Morph Reddish Egret - Bolivar Flats, TX - November 10 2021
Photos were taken with an Olympus E-M1X camera and a 150-400mm f4.5 TC lens. Shots were taken handheld @ 400 or 500mm, 1/3200 sec, f/4.5 or 5.6 , and ISOs between 320 and 800. I was surprised by the number of shots in which the fish being chased was out of the water and in the frame. Both the bird and the fish are out of the water in several of the shots.

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David Sparks

I retired in 2005 after 40 years of research and teaching at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (24 years), the University of Pennsylvania (8 years) and the Baylor College of Medicine (8 years). Photography is my retirement hobby.

Nature photography, especially bird photography, combines a number of things that I really enjoy: bird-watching, being outdoors, photography, travel, messing about with computers, and learning new skills and concepts.  I now spend much of my time engaged in these activities.

David Sibley in the preface to The Sibley Guide to Birds wrote "Birds are beautiful, in spectacular as well as subtle ways; their colors, shapes, actions, and sounds are among the most aesthetically pleasing in nature."  My goal is to acquire images that capture the beauty and uniqueness of selected species as well as images that highlight the engaging behaviors the birds exhibit.