Little Egret Egretta garzetta No. 1 has been visiting a local London park each winter since 2014 and when this bird first appeared it was shy and easily disturbed. However, during the past two winters there have been two other Egrets regularly visiting with occasional visits from others too. The three regulars have become far more tolerant of human presence, they recognise the photographer as posing no threat and they can now be photographed and filmed behaving in an uninhibited manner from a much closer range than before. The latter part of this film was a single take and the light was constantly changing on a windy day with clouds scuttling across the sky. Most of the film was deliberately underexposed as Egrets reflect bright sunlight and without having made this adjustment much of the feather detail would have been lost. Little Egret No. 1 has distinctive toe deformities so provided the feet are visible it can be identified easily. At one point in the film a fish is literally chased and caught, showing just how fast and agile these birds can be. A very brief preen (possibly to remove an unseen leech) and thorough shakedown of the plumage was deemed necessary when the bird emerged briefly from the water. An unfortunate consequence of recent high winds has been the deposition of items of rubbish along the riverbanks and in the water.
Little Egret Egretta garzetta No. 1 has been visiting a local London park each winter since 2014 and when this bird first appeared it was shy and easily disturbed. However, during the past two winters there have been two other Egrets regularly visiting with occasional visits from others too. The three regulars have become far more tolerant of human presence, they recognise the photographer as posing no threat and they can now be photographed and filmed behaving in an uninhibited manner from a much closer range than before. The latter part of this film was a single take and the light was constantly changing on a windy day with clouds scuttling across the sky. Most of the film was deliberately underexposed as Egrets reflect bright sunlight and without having made this adjustment much of the feather detail would have been lost. Little Egret No. 1 has distinctive toe deformities so provided the feet are visible it can be identified easily. At one point in the film a fish is literally chased and caught, showing just how fast and agile these birds can be. A very brief preen (possibly to remove an unseen leech) and thorough shakedown of the plumage was deemed necessary when the bird emerged briefly from the water. An unfortunate consequence of recent high winds has been the deposition of items of rubbish along the riverbanks and in the water.
0 Comments