Great Egrets

SCraig · Oct 4, 2014

I spent a couple of days at Reelfoot Lake last weekend and Great Egrets were scattered everywhere.

#1

#2

#3

There might be some blown highlights on the last two. It's hard not to with a pure white subject in direct sunlight on a cloudless day

Those two were taken from a pontoon boat out in the lake

And a couple of the lake itself simply because it's such a pretty spot:

#4

#5

sm4him · Oct 4, 2014

Nice, Scott! I really want to get to Reelfoot one of these days!

NancyMoranG · Oct 4, 2014

Yes, those whites are very tough. I like #1 as it looks like you were sneaking up through the grasses and he didn't know you were there, yet.
Oh, wait, you were sneaking up...

Will they migrate away from you soon?
Nancy

Hunter58 · Oct 4, 2014

Nice shots. Looks like a very nice place.

SCraig · Oct 4, 2014

sm4him said:
Nice, Scott! I really want to get to Reelfoot one of these days!

It is a really pretty place. I went on a pontoon boat tour on Saturday morning that lasted about 3 hours. Really interesting and I saw a lot of the lake and got a lot of history and information from the rangers on the tour.

Right now is a good time to go since there aren't a lot of people there. Lots of small sportsman's "Resorts" that specialize in guided fishing trips. I didn't want a cabin so I stayed in a small motel right across the highway from the lake. A bit beat up on the outside but clean as a hospital inside.

A bit of a trip for you though. 3-1/2 hours from here, but all 4-lane except for the last 15 miles or so. Late winter (January & February) they usually have a couple of hundred breeding pairs of Bald Eagles there so I may go back for a couple of days then.

SCraig · Oct 4, 2014

NancyMoranG said:
Yes, those whites are very tough. I like #1 as it looks like you were sneaking up through the grasses and he didn't know you were there, yet.
Oh, wait, you were sneaking up...
Will they migrate away from you soon?
Nancy

I exposed for the highlights but still managed to overexpose them a little bit. Such is life

The first shot was the first Egret I saw when I got there. I was walking along the bank and he was up in a little cove. The lake is so shallow it's one small cove after another among the Cyprus Trees. I kept working my way around and finally found that spot that only had a few bits of grass in the way.

I suspect they will migrate soon. They aren't native to this area and these flew in from Canada according to the ranger I talked with. I imagine they will head for the Gulf coast pretty soon.

Gary A. · Oct 4, 2014

#4 is my fav. Looks very peaceful. I could use some peaceful.

SCraig · Oct 4, 2014

Hunter58 said:
Nice shots. Looks like a very nice place.

Thanks! It is a pretty place and has an interesting history. The lake was caused by an earthquake in 1812 that caused the Mississippi River to flow backwards for a short time flooding the area. It was a hardwood forest and after the flood they cut all of the timber right at the surface of the lake. Now there are hundreds of tree stumps just below the surface of the water with Cyprus Trees growing everywhere. It's really strange to see a large lake with trees literally growing out of the middle of it and birds standing on stumps way out in the lake.

SCraig · Oct 4, 2014

Gary A. said:
#4 is my fav. Looks very peaceful. I could use some peaceful.

Thanks, Gary. I picked this part of the year under the assumption that it would be relatively quiet and peaceful and wasn't disappointed. There was hardly a soul there. I got up early Saturday morning and took a bunch of sunrise photos (that's where #4 came from) and there was not a single sound to be heard and hardly a light to be seen anywhere. I had forgotten how much I missed true quiet and true dark.

baturn · Oct 4, 2014

These are gorgeous. Especially the last one. A little odd for me to pick a shot without a bird featured. So I'll also mention #2.

SCraig · Oct 4, 2014

baturn said:
These are gorgeous. Especially the last one. A little odd for me to pick a shot without a bird featured. So I'll also mention #2.

Thanks, Brian. It's such a pretty place that it's hard to take anything bad. Every scene is a photograph waiting to be taken, just have to try and find some way to frame it decently.