Dan's Outside

Egret Alights, Whalers' Cove

Reposted here, just because…

Egret Alights, Whalers’ Cove. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. November 30, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved. (large)

An egret flies close to the kelp covered surface of Whaler’s Cove at Point Lobos State Reserve, California.

As I arrived at Whaler’s Cove I was hoping to perhaps be able to photograph sea otters up close. Although this was a high surf day along the coast, Whalers Cove is sheltered and I had heard that it is a good place to look for wildlife. After parking my car I did not see any otters, but I immediately saw this egret hunting in the kelp right next to the road. I grabbed the long lens and found a comfortable spot close by and began observing and photographing. The bird was apparently hunting for small fish in the kelp bed. It stood on top of the kelp and would occasionally make a lunch into the water, on one occasion coming up with a fish in its bill.

One of the things I like most about this photograph is the shadow of the bird’s curving neck cast on the translucent feathers of its wing.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

(Second try to post this… sorry if you got it twice in your RSS. :-)

December 12, 2008 - Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary