Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Great Egret under a golden sunrise

One born and raised within the asphalt and concrete confines of the city may regard my morning walks here on the unfinished roadway as devoid of meaning. Even the warbling song of the White-eyed Vireo seems to repeatedly ask "Wat-cha doin' here, eh?" 

White-eyed Vireo 2-20111101

To me, the vireo's faint lilting lullaby and its shadow as it moves among the branches take center stage over the cacophony of jet planes, garbage trucks and lawn mowers just on the other side of the canal. 

This is land that was intended to be put to a better purpose, a four lane parkway meant to hasten the trip to work for thousands of commuters every weekday. Now it sits, fallow, victim of land disputes and budget deficits. Useless and without value to so many and the institutions they support.

We walked out before sunrise. Last night, about 11 hours earlier, the Wolf Moon had risen over our lake:

Wolf Moon rising 20150104



Wolf Moon rising 60D 20150104

Now finished with its work of lighting the night, the first moon of the new year is ready to retire behind the palm trees as we walk in semi-darkness over the rough gravel roadbed, westward into our little patch of wounded wilderness.

Wolf Moon setting 20150105

Wolf Moon walk RETRO 20150105

The sky turns golden. It is the time to photograph the white birds with the new rays slanting in sideways. Later in the day the rays will be white on white, and the brilliance of their feathers will overwhelm my camera's sensors and algorithms.

Golden sunrise HDR COREL 20150105

A Great Egret sits, placid as it watches the water's surface for the least ripple:

Great Egret in golden morning light 20150105

It moves down, to wade in the shallows:

Great Egret in golden morning light 2-20150105

Great Egret in golden morning light 3-20150105

Maintenance of plumage is a high priority:

Great Egret preening 20150105

The reflection of a wing sculpts a scallop shell on the surface:

Great Egret preening 2-20150105

The egret moves off to better feeding grounds:


Great Egret liftoff 20150105

The sun is high as I walk homeward, to pass from the world on the other side of the canal. Two different worlds, one fenced in, whose residents view the opposite shore of the canal as a backdrop for lawn parties and BBQs, and call Animal Control at the first sight of an alligator. The other is the wounded wetland preserve that we cherish.

196 Canal HDR COREL 20150105

Linking to

Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

GOOD FENCES by Tex (Theresa). 

SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

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Please visit the above links to all these memes to see great photos of critters, fences, skies and reflections on display
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27 comments:

  1. HI Kenneth Another wonderful post. the Moon shots are amazing and I love all the colours in the sky shot. I love the whole series of shots with the Egret and the wing reflection certainly does look like a scallop. Hopefully the area will get sorted out someday.

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  2. Great pix of the egret! Your world is appealing compared to the -18C and 18" of snow here!

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  3. fabulously photographed! just gorgeous!

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  4. Those were awesome. Loved the Egret shots and your got some fabulous shots of the moon as well.

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  5. Great series, Ken! I love the vireo, egret and the beautiful moon shots.. Have a great day!

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  6. Breathtaking sights and photos.

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  7. A lovely post. The lighting in the Egret sequence is absolutely exquisite.

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  8. Beautiful reflections!
    My post at: https://hanshb.wordpress.com/2015/01/08/louvre-palace-reflections/#comments

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  9. Your photos are beautiful! The shots of the moon amaze me because I have never taken a good picture of it.:-)

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  10. fabulous series on the egret! Such a beautiful bird.
    I also like your vintage style photo!!!

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  11. Great moon photos but the gem is the reflection that looks like a scallop shell.

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  12. Terrific serie indeed... The moonlight reflection shot are incredible, but I felt in love with the bird last serie... My favourite is the one where we see it landing on the water with both wing open : they looks like angel wings.

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  13. Lovely moon shots and that last one is breathtaking, but I really love the little yellow bird!

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  14. I especially like the moon shot. I have never seen a white-eyed vireo but it's photo and the rest are beautiful.

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  15. Great shots of the birds...and I really like the horizon cloud formation in that last shot. :-)

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  16. @'Tsuki-- your comment brought tears to my eyes as that is how I felt when I saw it. thank you!

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  17. Another lovely series of captures Kenneth - I particularly like the sharpness of your first shot, and the egret with wings raised as it prepares to take flight. Wishing you a great weekend.

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  18. Awesome shots of the egret!

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  19. Lovely! Perfect lighting for the Egret photos
    Have a great week-end!
    Lea

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  20. I think you've outdone yourself with the post! The photography is excellent. I really like the egret series.

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  21. Ken, I am stopping back to say thank you so much for linking up and sharing your post.. Have a happy weekend!

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  22. Great shots. That first shot is too good.

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  23. Very beautiful photos of nature!
    Have a Beautiful Day!!
    Peace :)

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  24. Beautiful photos! I love the egret in the golden light.

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  25. Hi, your post is amazing. I love the moon reflection over the water. And my heart stopped beating momentarily when I scrolled through your beautiful egret shots. I also love that you record the bird sounds for a bird lover like I. Happy 2015 to you. Greetings. Jo (I'm off to join your blog!)

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