Posts Tagged ‘snowy egret’
Wait
Posted: December 4, 2022 in One Word SundayTags: #OWS, egrets, fishing birds, One Word Sunday, OneWordSunday, Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, snowy egret, wait
Lens-Artists #155 – (White) On the Water
Posted: July 3, 2021 in Lens-Artist Photo Challenge, Life in Colour Photo Challenge 2021Tags: floating feather, Lens-Arists #155 - On the Water, Lens-Artists #155 – (White) On the Water, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, on the water, pelicans, quotes, reflections, Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, snowy egret
This week’s Lens-Artists Challenge by John at Journeys with Johnbo coincides with the last weekend for “white” as the theme for Life In Colour (yes, I know Jude doesn’t know how to spell “color” but you’ll have to excuse her–she’s British.) So here are three examples not only of white but also of white reflections on water, all the more for your time. I wish you all a wonderful weekend. I’ll be watching stage 8 of this year’s wild and crazy Tour de France (but not until the replay, as it starts at about 4 am here.)
“Water is the driving force in nature.”
― Leonardo da Vinci
We’ll start with tiptoeing on water while creating a reflection…
“Praised be my Lord, for our sister water.” St. Francis of Assisi
…floating on the water while reflecting, and finally…
And just because:
“It seems rummy that water should be so much wetter when you go into it with your clothes on than when you’re just bathing, but take it from me that it is.”
― P.G. Wodehouse, The Inimitable Jeeves
…synchronized swimming (and diving and eating) while reflecting on water.
And never forget this classic poem and a second version:
A Wonderful Bird Is The Pelican
By Dixon Lanier Merritt
A wonderful bird is the pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican,
He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week
But I’m damned if I see how the helican!
Another version:
A funny old bird is a pelican.
His beak can hold more than his belican.
Food for a week
He can hold in his beak,
But I don’t know how the helican.
Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/a-wonderful-bird-is-the-pelican-by-dixon-lanier-merritt
Sometimes details make all the difference.
Posted: February 26, 2021 in Life in Colour Photo Challenge 2021, Six-Word SaturdayTags: #SWS, details, Life in Colour Photo Challenge 2021, Life in Colour: yellow, Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, Six Word Saturday, Six-Word Saturday, snowy egret, yellow
Backlit
Posted: December 8, 2020 in birdsTags: backlit, birds, lighting, Nature, Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, snowy egret
Everything is black and white
Posted: December 7, 2020 in birdsTags: American pelican, American pelicans, birds, black and white, cormorants, fishing birds, Nature, Pearl Harbor Day, pelicans, photo bombing, quotes about black and white, Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, snowy egret
Although when in the sleepy pod the first day I saw them these American pelicans looked, with the exception of their exceptional beaks, completely white, on this day they were showing off their underlying black decorative touches.
“Life is better in black and white!”
― Avijeet Das
“When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in black and white, you photograph their souls!”
― Ted Grant
Does this count for birds, too? Stretch those wings!
“The most colorful thing in the world is black and white, it contains all colors and at the same time excludes all.”
― Vikrmn, 10 Alone
Little photo bombing snowy egret in the background.
Photo bombing again, but in aggressive cormorant black. Doesn’t the middle pelican look as if it has its proverbial hands on proverbial hips in annoyance?
It’s also Pearl Harbor Day here in the U.S. as well as my mom’s and good friend’s birthdays. Can you imagine living in California and having your birthday on Pearl Harbor Day? Not the best birthday my mom ever had!
No, I’m not drinking the Kool-Aid
Posted: November 6, 2020 in Six-Word SaturdayTags: #6ws, #SWS, birds, don't drink the kool-aid, Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, Six Word Saturday, Six-Word Saturday, snowy egret
Splash
Posted: November 1, 2020 in One Word SundayTags: #onewordsunday, #OWS, egret fishing, One Word Sunday, One Word Sunday: splash, Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, snowy egret, splash
Lens-Artists Challenge #120 – What A Treat!
Posted: October 24, 2020 in Lens-Artist Photo ChallengeTags: Arizona birds, birds, Lens Artists Photo Challenge, Lens-Artist Photo Challenge, Lens-Artist Photo Challenge: What a Treat!, Mt. Lemmon Arizona, Northern Shoveler, Riparian Preserve, Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, roseate spoonbill, snowy egret, Steller's Jay
Last week was a treat as far as my birding “career” goes, as I saw my first spoonbill and osprey at the Preserve. But I’ve already posted about them, so when I saw today’s theme/challenge, I was disappointed. However, I quickly realized I had more treats to share.
We’ll start again at the Riparian Preserve, my soul food walking spot here in Gilbert. While three birders with enormous lenses sat on their portable stools on the opposite side of the lake, I realized that if I followed the direction of their lenses, I could likely see whatever they were seeing but from a different and much closer angle. What I saw was this snowy egret primping. Try doing that on one foot at home!

While snowy egrets are a dime a dozen (yet still full of surprises and always worth photos), this was the first spotting for me of a Northern Shoveler trying to keep a low profile among a bunch of coots. Joni Mitchell may think you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone, but I didn’t know what I’d got until I zoomed in on my photos. Pretty snazzy gent, I’d say.

Final treat for that day, another sighting of the roseate spoonbill perched high atop a pole. Must be more difficult to preen when your bill’s spoon-shaped than for the snowy egret with its thin, pointed bill.
(more…)