30 Thursday Jun 2022
Posted in Ocean City Welcome Center, Photography
Tags
bluejay, Eastern Blue Bird, Eastern Bluebird, Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird, great egret, postaday, white ibis, yellow-crowned night heron
This post is my response to Tina’s challenge at Lens-Artists Challenge #205 – The Eyes Have it. I almost never photograph humans, so my entries will consist of pictures of birds that I encounter in a rookery, a wildlife refuge, or in our backyard.
25 Saturday Jun 2022
Posted in Ocean City Welcome Center, Photography
Yesterday the rookery next to the New Jersey Ocean City Welcome Center was teeming with egrets, herons, ibises, and many other smaller birds. The Great Egrets breeding season was at its peak as you can see from the following images.
The parent egret will eat the eel then regurgitate it into the bottom of the nest. Then the young chicks will be able to eat it.
14 Saturday May 2022
Posted in EBF Refuge, Ocean City Welcome Center, Photography
Tags
bald eagle, Black-crowned Night Heron, canada goose, Forster's Tern, great egret, postaday, purple martin, snowy egret, white ibis, yellow-crowned night heron
I have been saving photos of birds over the past several weeks, waiting for an opportunity to post them. Here are most of them, in no particular order.
30 Thursday Dec 2021
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
Tags
Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, egret, Fish Crow, great blue heron, great egret, postaday, red-winged blackbird, yellow-rumped warbler
I have looked many times at the following image of a Red-winged Blackbird chasing a much bigger Fish Crow away from the vicinity of its nest. It was actually chasing two Fish Crows, but only one was caught by the camera. Gumption and tenacity are words that apply well to the Red-winged Blackbird.
This year, one big bird was everywhere around the refuge. I shot many pictures and even have one post dedicated to it, Great Blue Heron. However, the following monochrome shot was liked by many.
In November, I saw Yellow-rumped Warblers for the first time. They were eating Juniper berries and did not fly away allowing me to take many shots. Here are two more unpublished until today.
Hundreds of egrets stay at the refuge almost year round from the end of February until December. They spend their time fishing, and sometimes fighting each other, jumping up like ballet dancers.
With so many egrets and other birds , I sometimes wondered whether there ever is enough fish for them. One day a few weeks ago, I looked down into a shallow part of the refuge and saw thousands and thousands of fish swimming around, with not a bird in sight.
This concludes this 2021 Images in Review series. I wish all of you a Great and Happy New Year in 2022!
28 Tuesday Dec 2021
Posted in Photography
2021 was the year of the 17-year Brood X cicadas. Tens of thousands of their shells littered our yard and their singing during the day was incessant, lasting from early morning well into sunset.
Some of my most satisfying photo captures are the following of a superb flyer, a White Ibis near its rookery in Ocean City, NJ.
18 Saturday Dec 2021
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
Tags
Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, great blue heron, great egret, green-winged teal, Northern Shoveler, postaday, ruddy duck
I shot the following photos over the past several weeks. The birds and ducks shown are some of the usual visitors to the refuge during fall and winter.
15 Monday Nov 2021
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
A flying Great Egret seems to be a good subject for Monochrome Monday.
14 Sunday Nov 2021
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
13 Saturday Nov 2021
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
A Great Egret was taking off at the refuge.
24 Sunday Oct 2021
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
Two Great Egrets were fighting at the refuge. I have seen them do that before, with most “fights” lasting a few seconds. The following lasted almost a minute, over several bouts in succession until everything quieted down. Were they competing for territory, or for some female egret?
18 Monday Oct 2021
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
Tags
boat-tailed grackle, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, great egret, greater yellow legs, postaday, snow goose, song sparrow
Following are some scenes from the refuge that I photographed last Friday.
16 Saturday Oct 2021
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
Fishing by humans is not allowed at the refuge. But the birds are free to fish since it is sometimes their best way to obtain what they need to survive. The Great Egret shown below is an excellent practitioner of fishing. Yesterday, I watched from beginning to end as it plucked a fish out of the marshes.
29 Wednesday Sep 2021
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
18 Saturday Sep 2021
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
Tags
Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, grackle, great egret, laughing gull, postaday, snowy egret, tern
According to the dictionary, a pose is “a sustained posture, especially one assumed for artistic effect”. The second part of the definition does not apply to birds. Most birds fly, and they do so gracefully as their bodies have to conform to the demands of aerodynamics. At rest, they become more compact and assume natural poses to observe their surroundings, or to preserve heat when necessary.
14 Tuesday Sep 2021
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
Tags
Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, great blue heron, great egret, ladybug, postaday, snowy egret, tricolored heron
In one more week, summer will be ending. Some birds have already left the refuge but many remain as warm temperatures still prevail and food is abundant in the marshes. Here are some more shots of the Great Blue Heron shown in monochrome yesterday.
Great and Snowy Egrets, including juveniles born this year are everywhere around the refuge.
A Snowy Egret bristled in warning as a juvenile landed close to it.
There was a new bird for me. It was quite far away, but I think it was a Tricolored Heron.
While scanning the marshes, I saw a brilliant, shiny red spot in the middle of the milkweed. Mating season should be over by now, but two Ladybugs did not get the memo.
20 Sunday Jun 2021
Posted in Ocean City Welcome Center, Photography
Tags
glossy ibis, great egret, little blue heron, Ocean City Welcome Center, photography, postaday, rookery, white ibis
With bright sunshine, white clouds on blue sky, bearable temperatures, and a cool breeze from time to time, it was a perfect day for photography. There were already about a dozen photographers with their massive long lenses pointed at various points of the rookery.
Except for the sleepy night herons, the birds were very active, flying in and out of the trees every minute or so. I ended up taking many more pictures of birds in flight than I had planned.
25 Friday Dec 2020
Posted in Photography
I took the following photos on October 1st, 2019 but did not post them as I temporarily stopped blogging to concentrate on finishing my second book. Now, more than a year later, here they are. A large group of Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets (with the black bills) was taking off at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Never had I seen so many flying together.
Flying Egrets.
Flying Egrets.
Flying Egrets.
Flying Egrets.
05 Saturday Dec 2020
Posted in Photography
This week has been rainy with only one sunny day in the middle. I drove to the refuge and by the time I arrived the sun was out but the clouds were many. The Great Blue Heron that used to stand by a sluice gate was now standing by the water.
Sunning Great Blue Heron.
There was a flash of white among the dried reeds. A Great Egret took off as soon as it saw me, but I managed to take a few shots of it flying away.
Great Egret taking off.
Great Egret in flight.
Great Egret in flight.
Toward the end of Wildlife Drive one tree still had its leaves on.
Autumn scene at Edwin B. Fosrsythe National Wildlife Refuge.
24 Saturday Oct 2020
Posted in Photography
Tags
great egret, herring gull, long-tailed duck, monarch butterfly, Northern Shoveler, photography, postaday
I took the photos below at different times of this year, from January 1st on.
Herring Gull.
Long-tailed Duck.
Great Egret.
Northern Shovelers.
Monarch Butterfly.
04 Sunday Oct 2020
Posted in Photography
Great Egret.
13 Sunday Sep 2020
Posted in Photography
Yesterday, conditions were almost ideal for photography. The refuge was dry, the sun was shining bright, and an ocean breeze was cool if at times gusty. I had just stepped out when a Great Egret flew toward me. I barely had enough time to lean against the car and bring my camera up to shoot. This was likely the closest I ever came to a Great Egret in flight.
Great Egret.
Great Egret banking away.
Great Egret.
10 Thursday Sep 2020
Posted in Photography
The Great Egret and Snowy Egret shown below were feeding in the marsh, stabbing the water, and jumping and turning around on a dime. They were very successful and got a fish at every attempt.
Great Egret feeding.
Great Egret feeding.
Great Egret feeding.
Snowy Egret feeding.
Snowy Egret feeding.
Snowy Egret feeding.
Snowy Egret feeding.
In this last photo, it was amazing to see the Snowy Egret twisting itself while looking for fish.
Snowy Egret hunting for prey.
06 Saturday Apr 2019
Posted in colonial lake, EBF Refuge, Photography
Tags
american robin, canada geese, colonial lake, diamondback terrapin, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, great egret, photography, postaday, snowy egret
American Robins don’t migrate during the winter, merely keeping out of sight most of the time. They reappear with the coming of spring, when the ground is no longer too hard for them to try to pull out worms.
American Robin, 2019 spring.
Flocks of Canada Geese flying overhead is another sign that the seasons are changing. However, I can’t figure out what they are doing since they seem to be flying in all directions.
Canada Geese flying East.
Just a minute after the above shot, those Canada Geese reversed direction and flew over me again.
Canada Geese flying West.
I thought that was the last of that flock and started walking toward the woods. Then they flew North and passed overhead once more.
Canada Geese flying North.
Another sure sign of spring is the return of Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets. They appeared two weeks ago, then went away when the weather turned cold. Now they are back.
Great Egret and Snowy Egrets at Edwin B Forsythe NWR.
Great Egret.
Finally the turtles are out sunning themselves. I think they are Diamondback Terrapins, but am not positive. They all jumped into the water as I tried to come closer to them to get a better look.
Seven turtles at Colonial Lake.
30 Sunday Dec 2018
Posted in colonial lake, Photography
Tags
american robin, blue jay, cosmos, great egret, mallard, montezuma national wildlife refuge, northern cardinal, photography, postaday
In 2018, some of my photos did not appear on this blog, normally because I didn’t want to have too many in any post. Now at year end, looking at them, some actually deserve to be shown, and here they are.
Northern Cardinal in January 2018.
Mallard mother and ducklings, May 2018.
Great Egret at Montezuma NWR, September 2018.
American Robin, November 2018.
Blue Jay, November 2018.
Cosmos brought inside, October 2018.
19 Monday Nov 2018
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
Tags
cormorant, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, great blue heron, great egret, photography, postaday
These are some shots I have taken earlier this year, rendered in monochrome.
Great Blue Heron.
Cormorant.
Great Egret.
03 Saturday Nov 2018
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
You won’t believe how many times I have missed capturing, or badly captured, birds in flight. Two days ago, at the refuge, I finally was able to get several good shots of a Great Blue Heron as it took off from the marsh.
Great Blue Heron in flight.
Great Blue Heron in flight.
Great Blue Heron in flight.
On the same day, a Great Egret also put on a good show.
Great Egret in flight.
Great Blue Heron in flight.
Great Blue Heron in flight.
25 Tuesday Sep 2018
Posted in barnegat, EBF Refuge, Photography
Tags
bald eagle, barn swallow, barnegat lighthouse, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, great egret, Long-billed Dowitcher, mourning dove, photography, postaday, ring-billed gull, sanderling, year of the bird
2018 is the Year of the Bird, as declared by the National Audubon Society, National Geographic, BirdLife International, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. I didn’t know about that until now, but here are seven photos I took recently of birds around New Jersey.
Two Barn Swallows in Newton, NJ.
Mourning Dove on beach at Barnegat Light.
Great Egret at Edwin B Forsythe NWR.
Sanderling at Barnegat Light.
Young Bald Eagle at Edwin B Forsythe NWR.
Long-billed Dowitcher at Edwin B Forsythe NWR.
Juvenile Ring-billed Gull at Barnegat Light.
19 Wednesday Sep 2018
Posted in Photography
Tags
bald eagle, great blue heron, great egret, montezuma national wildlife refuge, photography, postaday, ring-billed gull
Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge is at the Northern end of Cayuga Lake, one of the 11 finger lakes in New York state. It is less than a quarter of the size of Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey, but has much of the same wildlife, with the addition of Sandhill Cranes and Black Terns that are not usually seen in New Jersey.
We drove on Wildlife Drive through Montezuma NWR, stopping occasionally to take pictures.
Marsh Mallows were vibrant and plentiful at Montezuma NWR.
Marsh Mallows at Montezuma NWR.
A young Bald Eagle surprised me by swooping overhead and diving toward the marshes. It was too fast and moved around too much for me to get good pictures, but the following will give you an idea of the drama evolving in the sky.
Bald Eagle at Montezuma NWR.
Bald Eagle at Montezuma NWR.
Bald Eagle at Montezuma NWR.
Bald Eagle at Montezuma NWR.
Bald Eagle at Montezuma NWR.
However, the young Bald Eagle failed to catch any fish.
There were several Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets that landed near Wildlife Drive then stood or walked in the water.
Great Blue Heron at Montezuma NWR.
Great Blue Heron and Great Egret at Montezuma NWR.
Great Egret preening at Montezuma NWR.
Great Egret at Montezuma NWR.
Great Egret at Montezuma NWR.
There were many Ring-billed Gulls and Canada Geese at Montezuma NWR. One gull was hovering over the marshes and crisscrossing the sky, asking to be photographed.
Ring-billed Gull at Montezuma NWR.
15 Sunday Apr 2018
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
Tags
Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, great egret, hooded merganser, mute swan, photography, postaday, snowy egret
Temperatures went as high as 84°F (29°C) yesterday, but today they are back down to 40°F (4°C), and it is very windy and cold. Even though I took the following photos last month and last week, they illustrate well this challenging weather we are having.
Mute Swan.
Great Egret and Snowy Egret.
Great Egret looking for fish.
Great Egret catching fish.
Great Egret and fish.
Hooded Merganser windblown.
10 Tuesday Apr 2018
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
Hundreds of Great Egrets were still sleeping or waking up and preening at a pond at the refuge. It was a bit nippy and there was some fog and frost on the brown reeds. I had never seen that many Great Egrets in one place, but could not capture the entire flock in one photo.
Great Egrets waking up. Note the Great Blue Heron on the left with eyes still closed.
All the birds were in their best breeding plumage and colors, with long white aigrettes that ladies at the beginning of the last century would have paid dearly to adorn their headdresses with.
Closer look at Great Egrets.
Great Egret.
24 Saturday Mar 2018
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
This was the first Great Egret I saw at the refuge this Spring. It was still cold and quite windy so it did not stay too long.
Great Egret.
Great Egret starting its flight.
Great Egret airborne.
03 Sunday Dec 2017
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
Tags
Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, fog, great egret, photography, postaday, snowy egret, spider web
A few weeks ago, the heavy morning fog led to some unusual monochrome shots.
Great Egret.
Snowy Egret.
Snowy Egret.
Spider Web.
12 Sunday Nov 2017
Posted in EBF Refuge
Tags
Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, great egret, photography, postaday, snowy egret, sunrise, sunset
Like many of us, whenever I see a colorful sunrise or sunset I try to take a picture of it, if possible. Since the refuge is where I go most often to shoot pictures, in the past several years I did manage to have some sunrise and sunset shots from that place.
The following photo was taken 14 minutes after the shot of the pinkish sunrise I posted here a few days ago at https://neihtn.wordpress.com/2017/11/05/fall-at-the-refuge
Sunrise September 15, 2013.
Snowy and Great Egrets at sunrise September 15, 2013.
In the shot below, the sun hid behind thick clouds, but as it plunged below the horizon it produced magnificent colors ranging from blue and purple to red and yellow.
Sunset January 5, 2015.
11 Saturday Nov 2017
Posted in EBF Refuge, john heinz national wildlife refuge
Tags
Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, great egret, john heinz national wildlife refuge, photography, postaday, snowy egret
Egrets stayed around at the refuge later this year because the weather has been warmer than usual. Not today though as Artic air has brought temperatures to lows unheard of since the 1930’s. Anyway, last week I saw a Snowy Egret by Wildlife Drive at the refuge and stopped my car not more than 20 ft (6 m) from it.
Snowy Egret.
Snowy Egret.
Other cars then began stopping behind me, and the Snowy Egret decided it had enough and flew away.
Snowy Egret.
Snowy Egret.
Looking through my files, I saw the following photo taken in November 2014 at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. I did not post it before, perhaps because at first glance it appeared too dark. But lighting was falling on the egret and not on the marshy background. So here it is.
Great Egret.
21 Saturday Oct 2017
Posted in Photography
Tags
cormorant, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, european starling, great egret, photography, postaday
Last week, at the Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, I saw for the first time an American Avocet standing among other familiar birds. In fact I did not know what it was until I got home, saw a strange bird in the photo and looked it up.
American Avocet, on the right, and Mallards.
Great Egret.
The following photo is unusually wide so that all the Cormorants in that one spot can be seen.
Cormorants drying their feathers.
Finally, many smaller birds were flying around: Grackles, European Starlings, and Red-winged Blackbirds. I did not get a good shot of the Red-winged Blackbirds, although they appeared to be leading packs of small birds around the marshes.
Grackles.
European Starling.
Great Egret.
06 Friday Oct 2017
Posted in Photography
Tags
Great Egret: “Have a Nice Weekend!”
16 Saturday Sep 2017
Posted in EBF Refuge
Tags
Unlike Great Blue Herons which prefer large fish, Great Egrets stick with smaller ones. The following Great Egrets each caught a small fish as I was photographing them. Looking closer at their photos, did they actually smile at the prospect of more food filling up their stomach?
Great Egret with fish it had just caught.
Great Egret with fish: was the egret smiling?
Great Egret with fish it had just caught.
10 Sunday Sep 2017
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
There must have been at least a hundred Egrets and several Great Blue Herons at the refuge yesterday. They were very active fishing and flying from spot to spot, a golden opportunity for me to capture more BIF photos.
Great Egret.
Great Egret.
Here’s a sequence of a Great Blue Heron taking off.
Great Blue Heron.
Great Blue Heron.
Great Blue Heron..
09 Saturday Sep 2017
Posted in Photography
Tags
BIF, great egret, hummingbird, photography, postaday, saegull
Most of us are fascinated by photos of birds in flight (BIF), probably one of the hardest kinds of photography. Ever since I started to become serious in photography five years ago, I have occasionally attempted to shoot BIF pictures, most of the time with disappointing results. I still have a long way to go, but over the past few months I have kept the following photos to post.
Great Egret.
Great Egret.
Seagull.
Seagull.
The birds shown above are relatively large and easy to photograph. The hardest one, for me anyway, is the tiny but very fast Hummingbird.
Hummingbird.
03 Thursday Aug 2017
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
These two Great Egrets looked like they were dancing a pas de deux. Actually they were being chased away from a fishing spot by a fierce Great Egret that was overzealous in guarding its feeding station.
Great Egrets.
neihtn 