Snowy Egret Then And Now

 

“Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development,

 invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears.” 

~Edgar Allan Poe 

 

The Snowy Egret is my favorite bird, and here I bet you thought the Sandhill crane held that status! No, it's this gorgeous egret. It has been since I photographed my very first one, in the autumn of 2007, long before I took up birding. They are smallish egrets, and fairly common around the areas I tend to frequent when searching for birds, but they always catch my photographers eye, especially in winter. I always photograph them when I see them now, almost as good luck. And don't you just love those big yellow feet?

November 28th 2007

Goodbye/Hello

"It seems everything sleeps in winter,

 but it's really a time of renewal and reflection."

~Elizabeth Camden

Until The Dawn

The Autumn Equinox ends today,

 and the Winter Solstice begins!

While I took both of these photos during autumn of this year, the one I chose to welcome autumn with, was taken during the last third of the season, on November 25th, and as you can see, the beautiful egret already has it's Winter plumage on! It's such a lovely bird, that I thought it would be a lovely, quiet way to welcome in Winter 2017! I will miss autumn, and mourn it for a while, and then I will find some new subjects, hopefully, that will see me through the necessary seasons until it comes around again next year! I am sure it will bring a lot of beauty, and life, and I just can't wait to see what it brings!

#21 Leaf Of The Day

December 21st 2017

Cull Canyon Park

Mood: Happy

~Me

 

Three Birds In One Late Autumn Day

Lesser Goldfinch

December 18th, 2017

Cull Canyon Park

"It was a beautiful autumn day,

 with air like cider and a sky so blue you could drown in it."

~Diana Gabadldon

Outlander

Yellow Rumped Warbler

December 18th, 2017

Cull Canyon Park

We are nearing the last day of autumn. Just two more days to go, a day-in-a-half really, and most of my favorite trees have but a few leaves remaining! In my travels, however, I did come across one or two trees, that seem to just be just getting started, so I will be visiting them during winter, as much as possible. I like to continue photographing leaves for as long as I can, but they aren't included in each individual year's autumn leaf gallery. But this year, I have decided to consolidate all of my leaf photos, from all the past years, into one album, so the full collection is available in one place. I will post a link to it, when I have it set up, which hopefully will be sometime around New Year's Eve!

 Yesterday, while out and about, searching for the last little whisper's of autumn leaves, I came across some gorgeous little birds, with their winter plumage on, just waiting for that cold winter weather to begin! Maybe I will take on birds for a winter project. It's been chilly the last few weeks, but not winter cold, it has been autumn cold. Cold air, bright sunshine, and the deepest bluest skies Ive seen, since, well, since late last autumn! LOL. In other words, another season has come and gone, just like it should! I love finding new birds, and yesterday, I found three new ones for my bird gallery! That made me quite happy!

 There are plenty of places to go birding in the Central Valley, it's just a matter of doing a little research! The Delta is a great place to start, and I have heard that there is a large population of Egrets there! And there are also some rare birds to be found, so it's kind of an exciting thought! And while I am busy with my quest for pictures of the Summer Tanager, and the Vermilion Flycatcher, Autumn will be back before I know it! Just a mere three seasons from now, and I will be here, eagerly awaiting it's return, pretty much from the beginning of summer, but spring has all those gorgeous blossoms, so don't think I am forgetting that! So, with a little luck, I will be a busy girl with the camera in 2018! 

Lesser Goldfinch

December 18th, 2017

Cull Canyon Park

Society Finch

December 18th, 2017

Cull Canyon Park

#19 Leaf Of The Day

December 19th, 2017

 Castro Valley Community Center

Winter Plumage

"In November, so birds move away and some birds stay. The air is full of good-byes and well-wishes.The birds who are leaving look very serious. No silly spring chirping now.They have long journeys and must watch where they are going. The staying birds are serious too, for cold times lie ahead. Hard times. All berries will be treasures."

~Cynthia Rylant

 In November

We went out for a ride yesterday, we were going to go to Berkeley, to Tilden Park, where the Carousel is. It's been a tradition for Alan and I for years! We always buy our ornaments for each other, the day after Thanksgiving, at the amazing Tilden Carousel! But this year we could barely make it through the Altamont Pass, it was packed with cars, and by the time we reached the Bay Area, it would be too late, so we decided to head back home, by way of Highway 4, which goes through Byron, California.

As we were driving along, I spotted a tree, just off the road, with an Egret on the very top of each branch! There was nowhere to park along the road, so I could get some photos, so we had to make a U-turn, and find a place to park, directly across the street from the tree, to photograph the birds. The tree had mostly Cattle Egrets resting on the branches, but there was one Snowy Egret, which just happens to be my favorite bird, unfortunately, by the time we got back, the Snowy Egret was gone, and all that remained was the Cattle Egrets, which was fine, because they were beautiful! And look, they already have their winter plumage on!

It's turned cold, and it was a tiny bit foggy yesterday! Rain is due for today, and it's a cold hard fact, the season has turned, quickly to the cold, bare bones of autumn, despite having over almost a month left before it's officially winter! The trees with crimson and cinnamon leaves, are becoming more difficult to find, and my body hurts. But, like a quote from a previous post reminds us, there is a little of October in November, and a little bit of November in December. All seasons, blend together, but it always feels like autumn get's less time to shine, than any of the other seasons do.

#26 Leaf Of The Day

November 26th 2017

Knight's Ferry, California

Mood: Happy

~Me :)