Last spring I was birding with another photographer friend on the Provo Airport Dike in Provo, Utah. We saw a nice flock of Snowy Egrets flying toward us so we stopped and exited the vehicle to attempt some flight shots. The egrets circled us a time or two. It wasn't until after I looked at the photos that I realized, "one of those things was different from the others". Can you see the Cattle Egret in the flock below?
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| Ten Snowy Egrets and One Cattle Egret Flying Over Provo Airport Dike--Provo, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper) |
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| Ten Snowy Egrets and One Cattle Egret Flying Over Provo Airport Dike--Provo, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper) |
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Here is a highly cropped image to show the Cattle Egret more clearly.
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| Cattle Egret Mixed in Flock of Snowy Egrets Over Provo Airport Dike--Provo, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper) |
I know this post is supposed to be about Cattle Egrets, but I love the following image of a Snowy Egret. I saw it coming my way as I was driving my car during a lunch break. I pulled over just in time to retrieve my camera, get out of the car, and capture a couple of images as it flew directly over my head. It is such a beautiful bird in flight.
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| Snowy Egret in Springville, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper) |
I'm still trying to get a really nice Cattle Egret image, but the one below allows a nice comparison to the Snowy Egret that follows.
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| Cattle Egret Hunting in a Field in Palmyra, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper) |
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| Snowy Egret Hunting at Natural Bridges State Beach--Santa Cruz, CA (Photo by Jeff Cooper) |
Yesterday morning I had another lesson in "one of these things is different from the others". And it did involve another Cattle Egret. I stopped at a small pond in Lakeshore, Utah to see what might be in or around the pond. When I first saw the species starring in this post I could see only its head because it was on the other side of a small slope leading down into the water. It eventually flew to a more open perch that made me chuckle. I just had to capture and share the images below for two reasons. One, they engaged me in a kindergarten-level version of the "which one is different" game and, two, they provide a great clue for where to find a Cattle Egret--with cattle, of course!
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| Cattle Egret on, Yes, a Cow in Lakeshore, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper) |
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| Cattle Egret on, Yes, a Cow in Lakeshore, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper) |
What a great capture of the Cattle Egret among the Snowy's. Thanks for sharing Jeff.
ReplyDeleteBest,
Carolina
You are welcome, Carolina. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteI especially like the photo of the Egret flying overhead with the sunlight backlighting the wings.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Brian. I really enjoyed that moment.
DeleteMy only sighting of cattle egret were with cattle - was on a road trip to California, staring out the window, so not actively birding, and I noticed a white birding standing on a cow.... viola, lifer: cattle egret.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Birdworthy! Isn't that how it works sometimes? You look in the right direction at the right time and come up with something completely unexpected for that moment in time.
ReplyDelete