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Thursday, December 22, 2016

Rice-paper egrets on a foggy morning

It was a morning when you could truly "see what you were breathing." Fog shrouded the local wetlands. Dew coated my camera and binoculars, and weighed down the high blades of grass. A great Egret was barely visible through the murk:

North shore before sunrise 20161213

The blanket of fog blurred the background and muted the colors in my images of the egret, imparting a two-dimensional effect:

Great Egret 02-20161213

Great Egret 01-20161213

Great Egret 03-20161213

Expecting that my photos had been ruined, I was surprised to see them on the computer screen back home. The egret's black legs stood out as if etched on rice paper:

 Great Egret 04-20161213

Great Egret 05-20161213

Great Egret 06-20161213

Slowly, the fog lifted and the pine bank on the opposite shore gradually emerged into view:

South shore before sunrise 20161213

Lakeside marsh 20161213

Pine Bank in fog 20161213

Sun reaching Pine Bank 20161213

A bedraggled dew-soaked Prairie Warbler eyed me curiously:

Prairie Warbler all wet 2-20161213

Prairie Warbler all wet 20161213

Nearby, an unruffled Northern Cardinal:

Northern Cardinal 20151212

The sky brightened up, and a male Soldier basked in the light. This butterfly is often difficult to find in our patch:

Soldier butterfly top 20161206

The Lantana flowers attracted newly emerged male and female Julias:

Julia female and male 20161206

A male American Kestrel, perched 100 yards away, had returned for the winter:

American Kestrel 03-20161212

He suddenly flew right towards me-- was it something I said?

American Kestrel in flight 20161212


He kept watching me as he flew off:

American Kestrel in flight 05-20161212

 American Kestrel in flight 
04-20161212


Our friend Scott has ready access to the lake through a private gate, halfway into the wetlands preserve. We must walk 15-20 minutes to get this far:



Back Gate 20161216


= = =  = = =  = = = =  = = = = =

Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to GOOD FENCES by Gosia

Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart

Linking to Today's Flowers Friday by Denise

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) by NC Sue

 Linking to ALL SEASONS by Jeannette
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Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display

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24 comments:

  1. Lovely shots. Fog can do amazing things. I'm shocked how often, once I see my photos on the big screen, the shots I thought would be good, stink. And the ones I didn't expect much from, shine. :)

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  2. An absolutely gorgeous series, Kenneth, and I love the fog, light and reflections! Merry Christmas to you. :)

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  3. what great photos. Love from Poland . Merry Christmas

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  4. Beautiful and magical photographs. The ones of the great egret are especially so.

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  5. Wow, these are beautiful! It's amazing how sky and water blend in the first group of photos. Just incredible. Have a wonderful Christmas!

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  6. Beautiful and magical foggy photos! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! I am your newest follower and I invite you to follow me too. Thank you.

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  7. Stunning pictures of the Egret actually, with that subdued lighting.

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  8. Beautiful, wonderful photos!
    One day this week we had a 'freezing fog' warning. I had never heard of that before, but apparently dense fog can freeze on bridges and overpasses making for hazardous driving. I can hardly say 'freezing fog' without thinking freezing frogs!
    Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

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  9. Wonderful pictures! The egret photos look like Japanese art.

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  10. Love the soft and romantic colours in the first several scenes. Then the photos of the egret look so beautifully etched. And the dew-soaked warbler is such a cute one.

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  11. Love the egret series! Especially when he's balancing on one leg!

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  12. Wonderful photos! I love the reflections!!!

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  13. Nice shots - we dont get many foggy days here - but I try yo make the most of them. I like the low contrast they produce.

    Hope you have a great Christmas - Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  14. Wow - so many superlatives come to mind for this extraordinary collection of images Kenneth! Those captures of the Egret are outstanding, as is the Kestrel flying toward you, and the butterflies, and ..... ! Wishing you a glorious Christmas celebration and thank you for the joy your spectacular photography brings to my days.

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  15. Lovely shots! Wishing you much joy and light!

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  16. Hello Ken, gorgeous series on the egret. Beautiful birds and images. Thanks so much for linking up and sharing your post. Happy weekend! Merry Christmas to you and your family.

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  17. Love your photos Ken. especially those egret legs against the fog. Always enjoy seeing your pics. Merry Christmas.

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  18. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful photos at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-church-of-pater-noster.html

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  19. Beautiful and stunning series of nature shots, Ken and Rosy - don't know if you are still doing it together! Hope you had a memorable Christmas and thank you taking time to share your experiences with ALL SEASONS! Have a happy week!

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  20. Lovely scenes and the birds are so colorful. Nice shots!

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  21. Hello, I'm from Stewart's WBW linking and thought I'd pop over to see your post. Isn't it nice to get such a great surprise when seeing photos on the screen! Gorgeous reflections and captures indeed. Cheers! Sue :D)

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  22. How lovely those misty pictures are ... the egret ones remind me somehow of Oriental art. Wonderful birds

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