“One Departs, One Remains” — A juvenile osprey leaves the nest while its sibling remains.
This is a bit of a serendipitous photograph. I had been photographing landscape subjects since before dawn, but the early light had now dissipated. I figured I was done for the morning, so I shouldered my gear and started ambling in a direction that would take me back to my vehicle. Along the way I saw a little side path marked “dead end” that led toward the water, so I thought I’d take a look. A few feet later I was through some brush and on a rocky beach. A woman was there photographing, and she pointed out two juvenile ospreys at a nest atop a rocky formation just offshore.
“Egret On The Hunt” — A great egret hunting in a California Central Valley field.
I photographed this great egret back in late February during one of my last seasonal visits to a place where I photograph migratory birds every winter. This bird, like so many egrets I see out there, was hunting on its own, moving methodically and slowly toward its prey. If you did not realize what the bird was doing you might not understand its behavior, but once you do the purpose of its focused attention becomes clear.
“Egret and Chick, Evening” — A great egret, accompanied by an egret chick, stands in evening light.
Near the end of October last year, while returning from a fall color visit to the Western Sierra Nevada, I decided to make a stop at a Central Valley location where I have photographed migratory birds in the past. I wasn’t expecting to find the winter birds that I usually see there, but I was surprised to find large numbers of other birds that usually diminish at this spot later in the season. Among them were large groups of great egrets.
“About to Land” — Two geese landing at a Central Valley wetland pond.
On this sunny February day, we stopped briefly at a wetland area in California’s Central Valley, breaking up the long drive home from Death Valley National Park. We had actually departed the park one day earlier, stopping overnight and then continuing the next morning. Shortening the drive this way made it easier to get here before sunset. We found geese in a pond, and paused to make some photos before continuing on home.
Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
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