A few quick shots of a Great Egret that jumped up from a pretty good hiding spot. I never would have seen him without this movement.
The photos were taken in the same general area I have seen all the Night Herons.
Egret Flight
All posts by Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography
A Yellow Rat Snake Challenge
I noticed a Wren just on the other side of the porch screen. The patio blocks and flower pots are against the screen, lots of misc. stuff flying around each time the back gets a mowing. We back up to a pine stand, really tall trees and filled with birds. We can sit here and have plenty of activity.
Suddenly a snake, large Yellow Rat Snake, started to slide by. He was following the Wren. I must have moved because the snake turned and looked at me through the screen, 4 feet away.
Since my neck surgery I don’t have any cameras handy. I’m right handed like most people, and now my right hand does not cooperate. Nerve damage, exercises, lots of swearing, you get the idea.
I was not going to skip the chance here though, ran and retrieved a camera.
Long story short the little practice I have done with my gear paid off.
I did get a few more shots while trying to herd him into the woods, to be finished a bit later.
For the foreseeable future my only gear will be an older Canon 7D2 and a Tamron (one size fits all) 18-400. Certainly a decent kit though.
Low Flight, Heron
Knowing the flight path, or at least a vague idea, makes getting a series like this so much easier. They may not always follow the path, but when they do closeup’s can happen.
Best viewed large.
This bird was on the waters edge and suddenly decided to head over to the old ramp. The quick trip took him almost directly in front of me.
Black-crowned Night Heron, Magnolia Plantation rookery.
Great Blue Fishing
Great Blue Heron.
Dancing In The Trees, Egret
This Great Egret must have a nest in the back of this island. Several times I spotted a dance here.
I tested the new Lightroom DeNoise function on this image. It wasn’t overly grainy but it was a good photo to compare with my current version of Topaz DeNoise.
My first thoughts are the LR function worked well. However, it takes much more time than Topaz, does not sharpen if the noise caused a loose of details, and running multiple images may not clear all the photos.
I’ll stick with Topaz for most images.
Small Snack, Tricolored Heron
Their preferred catch is almost invisible.
Best viewed large.
On The Ramp (Again), Heron
Unfortunately I’ve lost track of the sequence of events here. Black-crowned Night Herons were stopping on the ramp for a few minutes, than moving on. I don’t think these were all the same bird, but really…they all look alike.
A few birds just made a quick jump off the ramp to soak themselves in the water. I’m assuming the bird below didn’t. That’s a gator head floating in the background.
Prothonotary Warbler
There is a place on a trail running through a small wetlands that has all kinds of Cypress Tree Knees. Many of these roots have a hollowed out hole perfect for these visitors to nest in.
Every spring these small brilliant yellow speedsters are there. I usually get at least one chance to photograph them. No room for error.
These will be my one and only photos for 2023. They return to South America after the chicks have grown.
