A Great Egret bouncing around a tree top.
For a few minutes there was quite a bit of flapping and strutting.
I think he climbed up from one of the nesting branches below.
After a moment the bird dropped down and flew off. It was a nice show while it lasted.
From a series that with the exception of perhaps three photographs were not used. Noise and grain was too big an issue.
Coming from the film days grain in B&W is rarely a problem for me. This group it was in all the wrong places.
Topaz software, DeNoise, helped me finish this one.
Random photographs here, from a walk around town. A few of what a visitor might see, a few of what I see around the side streets.
I think the image above shows what Charleston is really like. Not sure which street but it doesn’t matter. A typical side street.
Wrought Iron gates are everywhere. Philip Simmons (not this) work is still scattered around town. He started as a town blacksmith then revived the art of iron fence making to the point he was awarded the National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment Of The Arts. This is the US highest honor for an artist. His small shop is still sitting down an alley, if you know where to look.
One of the hundreds of gallery windows. Ground level of the old houses has always been used for shops, going back to the early 1800’s. The artist/work displayed always changes, the windows are framed art for the public viewing.
The last two are illusions, an old building window which shows a world that doesn’t exist.
In reality it is the side street view of a beautiful 1800’s three story warehouse building under repair.
The presentation was so well done I couldn’t resist helping the illusion along a little more.
Note; these were taken right after Charleston opened up (somewhat) from the pandemic. Just yesterday the wearing of masks became mandatory again. Walking around in 100 degrees (38 c) with a mask is dangerous so I will go back out to the marshes for the foreseeable future.
Contemplating the meaning of life…
or ‘what the hell have I done’.
A snap shot. Nothing more.
I was following a few of the small Anole (lizards) behind my house and focused on this.
Not very dramatic for someone who works with Alligators half the time, but… pandemic time. I don’t go out every day now.
Nothing brings visions of the Deep South like Spanish Moss, Cypress Trees, and of course a steamy swamp. It’s the perfect movie set.
And yes, it was hot when I took this.
Photographed as a Great Egret flew out from the corner of an old rice field.
As we get into the summer the Egrets will be out in the open marshes and rice fields rather than the confines of the swamps.
The open area makes getting a series of in flight shots easier, but the birds are more scattered around larger areas.
Click any image for a detailed view.
When the birds get busy in the Rookery, coming and going, it’s easy to lose track of what to do first.
That’s what happened here, I missed a long series of shots because I was trying to look in every direction at the same time.
I did catch these as the Egret started to go high towards the tall nesting tree. Branches and hanging moss let me have only a few decent shots.
