No, this is not snow in this tree.
It's the fowl of the air in that tree.
It's mating season for the Wood Stork, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Cattle Egret, Tricolor Heron and little Blue Heron in Florida.
I was thrilled to catch this Egret doing his courtship dance.
For once I was in the right place at the right time.
First, he bows down very low and then ever so slowly, he raises his head higher and higher and stretching his neck to the utmost limit and then bowing down again as he flicks his beautiful feathers. I was thrilled at such a beautiful sight and that I caught it on camera.
The Great Egret was threatened with extinction in the United States as plume hunters in the late 1800s reduced North American populations by more than 95 percent. Egret plumes were used within the fashion industry, primarily for women’s hats, and during peak demand an ounce of egret plumes was worth more than an ounce of gold.
10 comments:
I am glad you kept this G-rated, and turned the camera away before he got any takers. :)
Amazing!
We have trees here covered with huge white cockatoos ...most days ...I don't see them courting though!
I just watched a show on PBS about the destruction of these birds for their plumes. The Audubon Society was born out of the movement to protect many of the birds you mentioned. And, these are great pictures! I'm a big fan of your wildlife photography.
Beautiful and rare pictures. Great catch! So after the male does all this and hooks up with the female - is that when he realizes that he's really up a tree?
Gigi I had to look 3 times. I could not believe those were birds in that tree. Wow!
I have never seen anything like it.
You captured that plummage beautifully. I definately need to explore the south more.
Everytime you post a picture I find myself saying "I want to see that!".
Those pictures are stunning!
You are an amazing photogwoman!
I think it would be fun to see birds like that.
We don't grow them here....we would freeze them to death.
Are you sensing a theme with my comments as of late?
amazing. what beautiful photos you took.
I sure enjoy your photography daughter. Keep up the good work.
Love,
Dad
wow! so pretty to see...the pictures look amazing...have a great weekend!!
Fabulous! Beautiful pictures! It's amazing those birds are in the trees without breaking the branches. They look big.
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