FLIP THE CRAB

Snowy Egret eating a crab, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Huntington Beach, California

The light was a little dull when I had this Snowy Egret in the viewfinder, but when the bird caught a crab and tried to eat it, I let the shutter rip at high speed. The egret flipped the crab in the air, caught it again with its bill, and finally swallowed it.

It was a chilly morning at the Bolsa Chica Wetlands (Los Angeles had even a little bit of snow a few days earlier). Most Snowy Egrets had gathered in a corner of the lagoon and preened their feathers in the warm sun.

I have to show at least one picture of a Snowy Egret with its black legs and big yellow feet out of the water.

PREENING - OFTEN A GOOD GESTURE

Snowy Egret, San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary, Irvine, California ---------

No visit in the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve or the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Southern California is complete without a photo of a Snowy Egret. I have photographed this beautiful bird many times before and the question at another visit is always, how can the previous results be improved? The answer lies first in a review of older images. Do I need improvement on the technical side (i.e. sharpness)? What was missing? What kind of shot would I like to make? For the Snowy Egret I found out that I have plenty of images showing the bird standing in the water or walking along the shore and looking out for little fish to catch. This is how we see the egret the most and I can tell you, I added some more photos to the library that show the bird just doing this. What I didn’t shoot before was an egret preening its feathers. This is a great gesture that tells a story about this bird.

In harsh light exposing strictly for the highlights on the white egret darkens the background but I used it too my advantage because it also hides some mud and clutter that would otherwise distract from the subject of the photo. Sure, this can be done in post process at home on the computer but getting it right in camera is the real deal for me.

NATURE CLICKS #352 - SNOWY EGRET

Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Huntington Beach, California ---------

The graceful Snowy Egret has always been present during my visits in the Bolsa Chica Wetlands. They are smaller in size than the Great Egret and its black bill and black legs with yellow feet make it easy to identify. The legs of the egret in my photo are only partly black, a sure indicator that this was still an immature bird. The Snowy Egret feeds on fish, aquatic invertebrates, and even lizards and snakes. I watched them hunting for fish together with a large number of Great Egrets, American White Pelicans, and Double-crested Cormorants.