Reddish Egret. Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island NWR, FL

Yes I do love Reddish Egrets. The way the dance about while hunting. The improbable aspects their bodies assume. The thing they do with their wings just before striking a fish (not always…but often…called “canopy feeding” as they make a shadow in the water so they can see through the surface). Their speed and awkward agility. They are fun to watch. Late yesterday, out on Blackpoint Drive, a group of birders and photographers were treated to a classing Reddish show as two Egrets hunted across a pool the size of a basketball court. The late afternoon light was spectacular. I tried Sports Mode on the Egrets…and it made catching the wing thing and fish strikes almost easy. The camera locked focus on the Egret and all I had to do is keep the bird near the center of the field as it pranced and posed and wait for the action I wanted. The camera kept the bird in focus. Totally amazing! And it yielded my best shots of Reddish action yet…and not just one shot…but a dozen or more definite keepers! You have to know how fleeting these poses are to appreciate how well the camera did…at least in my hands 🙂

Sony HX400V in Sports Mode. 991mm equivalent field of view. 1/640th @ ISO 160 @ f6.3. Processed and cropped slightly in Lightroom on my Surface Pro 3 tablet. I plan a post on Point and Shoot Nature Photographer on shooting active birds in Sports Mode that will undoubtedly feature more of the Reddish Egret shots. Keep your eye open.