A few weeks ago, a friend showed me this nesting tree near me. It’s located behind a fast food restaurant, in between two strip malls, if you can believe it. I pulled out the tripod Neil left me, and sat behind the stores to watch these beautiful creatures flying in and out of their nests.
I couldn’t get close, so I used my lens with the greatest zoom. These aren’t the best quality, but I still like them. They tell a story of resilience and community. You’ll notice that among the egrets, there was a pair of herons, and several red-winged blackbirds.
Let me know if you have a favorite and have a fantastic Monday.
- These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using a 75-300mm lens and edited with Lightroom Classic.
Bridgette Tales 
Big, beautiful birds! Nice photography Ilze. I wish I could fly away some days…
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I meant Bridgette, oops. 😬
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I knew what you meant! I do that all the time, hit send super fast before reading it over 🙂
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Thanks Bridgette, I do the same thing but proof reading a post before uploading is a must.
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Same, John. These birds are so fascinating to watch and so busy. There was constant movement with birds coming and going. I could have watched them all day. I’m hoping to go back this week to see if they have any babies!
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I hope you get the baby photos! These birds seem like they would nest on the ground in a secluded space rather than a tree because of their size.
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Right?! Especially one in the middle of a bunch of businesses. It’s wild, but I’m glad it’s by me.
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Good, you don’t have a reason to not go get new pics! 👍🏻😂
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Beautiful birds. ❤
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Thanks, Michael. They were fascinating to watch. I really could have stayed there all day.
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I hear you, there. Thanks for the pictures 🙂
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A tree full of ballerinas…
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Absolutely! I’m obsessed and keep returning to watch them.
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Wow! Every photo is gorgeous. You did an amazing job with the tripod to capture those beauties.
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Thank you so much! It’s the first time I wished I had one of those enormous lenses that zoom in super far away. I wanted to see them even closer.
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👍🏼
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Awesome Bridgette – not sure I’ve seen such birds here, though I’m not very observant. I’m choosing #3 as I get more of an idea of size against the little chap in the higher branches.
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I grew up with these birds around the farm I boarded my horses at. I thought they were cranes, but I’ve sense learned more about them. The discovery of this tree has brought me tremendous joy!
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Excellent photos. No. 8 is my favorite.
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That’s one of my favorite’s too, as it really shows off the green on their beaks. I just read that it only is prominent during mating season.
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That is correct.
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Fantastic photos
Thanks for making my morning
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That makes me so happy! Thank you. They really are such beautiful creatures.
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🙏
.*
Shivoham*🙏🙏🙏
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Blessings to you!
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Wow! Great shots. Willdlife everywhere.
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Thanks! Yeah, it reminded me of those apocalyptic films where nature has reclaimed an area, except it’s just right in between two strip malls. Incredible, right?
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Hey Bridgette —
I nominated you for the Sunshine Blogger Award: https://ravensweald.com/sunshine-blogger-award/
It would be fun if you joined in.
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Hey, Michael. I’m so slow to do these things right now as I can’t seem to get my footing, but thank you for nominating me. I’ll try and join in 🙂
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No worries! I just want you to know that you’re appreciated.
Thanks!
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Aww! Thank you!!
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Beautiful photos. I’ve never seen them nesting, so thank you.
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Me either! I usually see them in waterways beside the freeways. They are mighty hardy for such elegant looking birds.
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Indeed. Great description.
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These are just incredibly magical.
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I’m so glad you think so! Thank you!
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Gorgeous from an artsy perspective. The header shot is like a painting as are many of the others. Numbers 8, 11, and 16 are especially good because of the unique positions of these majestic birds. If these photos are for a ‘reportorial’ outlet, I would definitely print them more saturated, more natural.
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I’m so glad you like them! I think you are right about printing them. I’ve not printed many yet, I need to find a good place to go through and start experimenting with that. I’d like to offer that as part of my services when I launch my business. I know it’s hard for people to find the time to get their work printed and framed.
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