Eastern Great Egret

Description:

The Eastern Great Egret is one of Australia's most elegant birds. It is found throughout most of the world and is common throughout Australia with the exception of the most arid areas. They usually feed in shallow water, standing and waiting for fish, frogs, insects and other small aquatic creatures to appear before stabbing them with there long yellow bill. They can walk slowly through the water on the lookout for prey. This makes them a great subject to photograph. 

This Egret was photographed in a suburban area by a large lake in the city of Perth called lake Monger. It's a wonderful spot for photographing bird life as you can cycle all the way round. This lovely bird was actually standing in an area off to the side of the lake where there was an overflow area. The water was stagnant and had a rather unusual hue to it, I suspect it was a mixture of algae growth and rainwater making the water so murky. I wasn't even going to bother taking this image because I was put off by the hue of the water and was looking for another angle. But what struck me about it was how close I was to the Egret and how still he stood as I got close. He didn't move, just waiting and hoping I'd move away. What I didn't realise until I looked through the viewfinder was the wonderful colour of the water against the pristine white of the bird. It gave the picture that mystical element I wouldn't have got with a lovely blue lake. 

Specifications:

Location - Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia

Aspect shown - Square

Product Code: FP17066S 

Camera Specifications: Nikon Coolpix P510, FL 35mm-170, Focal Length: 30.3mm, ISO 100, Exp: 1/160@f4.5 Exp Bias: 3/10EV