Snowy Egret at New Smyrna Beach Florida

Juvenile Cattle Egret.

Snowy egrets congregate regularly at Ponce Inlet near New Smyrna Beach.  They are also pretty adjusted to people being nearby so the opportunities for great photos are readily available.

This snowy egret was hunting on the Ponce Inlet jetties.  These are large blocks of granite that are ut sed to block the force of inbound waves at the inlet.  You can also find pelicans, plovers, great egrets and other birds at this location.

Reddish Egret in the surf

I love watching a Reddish Egret hunt.  They run around in all directions with wings spread striking at whatever catches their eye.  This is one of the rare times I've seen one hunting in the surf, I usually see them on the shallow mud flats at Ding Darling or or similar habitats.  I took the photo at Ponce Inlet near New Smyrna Beach which is a great place to find snowy egrets and small shorebirds hunting on or near the jetties.

Great Egret

Occasionally I'll find a Great Egret roosting in a tree such as this cypress.  They don't appear to be hunting or getting cool since they are usually in the sun.  I guess sometimes they just want an overview of their surroundings.  Maybe they can see their house from up there.  It's ok with me and it does make for some nice contrasty photos.

Portrait of a Snowy Egret

This Snowy Egret was an extremely cooperative subject.  He sat very still showing his best side and in great light.  It's very difficult to get the proper exposure with these birds, especially when the background is so much darker so the extra time was greatly appreciated.  The image was made in Mt Dora on the Palm Island Boardwalk.  This is a great place to go for a variety of birds although parts of the boardwalk have fallen into disrepair.  Lake County generally does a great job maintaining facilities such as Palm Island but for whatever reason this one continues to deteriorate.  It's still a great place to go.

Snowy Egret

This is another snowy egret shot from New Smyrna Beach.  There are always a few of the birds feeding in the tidal pools around the jetties on the south side of the Ponce Inlet.  Since the jetties usually have a lot of activity from fishermen they have become relatively accustomed to people.  In addition to the snowy egrets there was a large flock of skimmers, a number of Ruddy Turnstones, a pair of dolphins hunting within 100 feet of the shore and much more.  It's a great place to visit.  I recommend entering through Smyrna Dunes Park and taking the boardwalk to one of the beach access points.  Along the boardwalk you'll see a number of gopher tortoises and a couple of lucky people have even photographed an eastern diamondback rattlesnake.  Kudos to Volusia County for maintaining such a great facility for wildlife.

Great Egret

This egret had been standing completely still for some time while I sat on a bench with the camera on a tripod.  I occasionally recorded an image even though every one looked the same as the one before.  Suddenly the egret had to stretch and then made eye contact due to my movement and the sound of the shutter going off.  The light wasn't great, it was directly overhead resulting in the burn out of the feathers on the back.  The bird was perched on a sign warning of alligators when I would have preferred something more photogenic.  This image is in my personal top 10 of the tens of thousands I have taken over 40 plus years.  I have a 16x20 print hanging on the wall in my living room as a reminder that there is more to photography than achieving technical perfection.  It also serves as a reminder that there is nothing like eye contact with your subject.  I took the photo at Palm Island in Mt. Dora, Florida.

Reddish Egret

If you have never watched a Reddish Egret hunt you should add it to your bucket list.  They race around in unpredictable directions with their wings spread out.  Invariably they come up with lunch.  I took this shot at Ding Darling on Sanibel Island.  You might also find a white morph of this bird although I have had better luck with them at Ft Desoto in St. Petersburg.

Great Egret Hunting

I rarely see great egrets hunting in trees but this one was actively after something.  He made a couple of attempts but failed to catch anything.  I never saw what he was after.  I took this shot at Mt Dora on the Palm Island Boardwalk.  This is a great location for birds, gators and snakes.

                        

Snowy Egret Portrait

Another shot of a snowy egret taken at Ponce Inlet in Volusia County.  These birds hang out by the jetty and are very accustomed to people, especially the fisherman that give them handouts.  It's a photographer's paradise although it seems a little too easy to get close to these birds.  If you are at all interested in the technical aspects of photography I'll share with you the fact that this photo was taken with a Nikon D1H with all of 2.7 megapixels.  I never got on the more pixels are better train and just concentrate on focus, camera stability, low noise and getting in close to the subjects. 

White Morph Reddish Egret

I've only seen a few of these birds.  This shot was taken at Ft Desoto on the north shore of Tampa Bay.  This bird was taking a short break from it's characteristic racing around the shallows with it's wings spread hunting for lunch behavior.  I don't know what this pause was for but it only lasted a few seconds.

 

Great Egret Reflection

I took this shot from a moving boat on the Silver River near Ocala Florida.  It was an overcast day and there were no other boats on the water at this particular moment.