Since my first day spotting this bird I’ve been challenged in capturing its bright white features and grateful for the numerous occasions I’ve had to work those issues out. Over a few weeks this summer, almost every day I’ve observed what I believe to be the same Great Egret. More often than not, patiently plodding through the green growths of Speedwell Lake. 

From an extreme distance one sunny day, I saw a white splotch, very near the shore and I assumed it was the venerable neighborhood Mute Swan. I began watching a few cormorants, which I assumed were more likely to produce a useful image. I eventually gazed down the lake again, and saw, only after taking a picture and zooming in desperately, that the swan was not floating in the water but instead hovering a few feet above it, and that it wasn’t a swan at all. And since then, I have chosen to watch the patient hunting Great Egret over just about anything else.

Some of these shots were with a 1.4x III extender on my 70-200 f/2.8 (7D MKII) which has both given me nice images and severe and crippling glass envy that I must rectify if I’m ever going to be excited again. Anyways, here’s a compilation of my Great Egret pictures! Criticism welcome. I’ve been working on my white balancing and color balancing, as I’ve noticed that it’s crucial for me moving forward in studio life.

Enough wispy feathers to signal a breeding adult?

My takeaways from this grouping; Get lower, expose better, realize that the cropping is unhealthy and birding with a 70-200 is going to be frustrating even when its good.