Saturday, July 2, 2011

Scared Egret

It's amazing how nervous the bigger water birds can get when a human is around. When I got to this park I found this Great Egret standing there looking around nervously. As I moved closer to the bird it began to fidget. It obviously wanted to leave.

Now, I wasn't really as close as you might think. A small body of water separated the me from this big bird. I was now standing right up against a bench for people who didn't want to use the nature trails at the moment.

The bird knew I was watching it, but I did nothing to alleviate this bird's fears. I didn't use any of my techniques to calm it down. I only kept taking pictures. It was too late to calm this creature down anyway. It had already made up its mind.

Off it went! The Great Egret leaped into the air and began its flight for a hope for a better freedom than this. I only hoped my camera could keep up with it so I could get as many pictures as I could before it was gone.

The smaller birds in the background didn't seem to mind one bit. the geese weren't bothered by my presence. The seagulls had no problem with me. Only this egret didn't think I was so good. I wondered if I would ever see it again.

The egret flew across the bigger part of this small lake. It turned in the air, and was soon out of sight. I had no idea how far it actually flew. I hoped there would be more adventures as I began my walk on this now familiar trail.

Last time I was here, the geese were overrunning this place. I couldn't walk more than ten feet without getting hissed at by angry geese. Now there are only a few of these geese around, and they are keeping their distance. No more angry birds for me. Just one scared egret.


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16 comments:

  1. I guess the Egret just doesn't know you as well as the others do :) You got some nice shots. I like the last one with the reflection in the water as it's flying away

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  2. Egrets have evolved to be terrific hunters by their observation skills. They are observant with all senses and can therefore detect humans easily.

    Nice job with the photos!

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  3. The first photo is great. It shows the anxiety the egret is facing very clearly.

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  4. What a beautiful post! It is very beautiful to walk there with You...

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  5. Ratty, I also like the flight shot. I wonder what has happened to the geese?

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  6. I have noticed that herons are always very quick to take flight too. Maybe because of their large size they need more escape time.

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  7. nice catch- the white is very dramatic

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  8. egrets are very elegant birds, i love them, and you have beautiful picture. yeah, it's hard to get nearer to them and they will fly away.

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  9. You sure got some nice photos of that one!

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  10. Thanks for the great episode of Bird TV - that is so cool that you got a photo of that egret taking off!

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  11. I don't know, my dear, I guess the egret just isn't used to seeing a giant rat. You got some great picures, though!

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  12. Hi Ratty! Actually, I love the motion shot where the egret is springing forward to take off - nice timing! Beautiful capture! :)

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  13. Ratty

    The photo of the egret taking off is perfection and good enough to frame.

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  14. They are pretty birds! I've never seen one.

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  15. They look so clumsy and unnatural on the ground and yet so elegant in flight.

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