Environment
In this gallery I show birds in their natural environment. It’s somewhat akin to the “Portrait” gallery but there is usually more of the habitat showing in these iamges. I highly recommend clicking on any image to view it larger
Hawks
Eagles
Below - This eagle was diving for fish in the water but unfortunately for both him and for me getting a great shot, he never succeeded that day.
Right - I found this eagle posing on a pole one afternoon and waited about an hour for the full moon to pass right over it
Below - In this sequence I watched a Bald eagle fly over this lake that was lightly iced over and eventually land. However, the ice was so thin the eagle broke through the ice. Seemingly stunned it stayed there for a while but then shortly thereafter it pushed itself out and was safe. Eagles are actually decent swimmers for short distances.
Below - This eagle was heading down from a nest to look for food when I was able to capture this unique perspective. It then pulled up and flew away.
Herons
Great Blue Herons
Two images below - The loneliness of the (generally) solitary Great Blue Heron
Two images below - Great Blue Heron in Texas. Top image in Lake Champion and bottom image in Galveston
Upper right and Lower right - Occasionally I will see a Great Blue Heron fan its wings when sleeping. The picture on the immediate right was taken during a hot summer day so I assumed it was cooling itself. The picture on the far right was taken during a very cold day as the Heron faced the sun so I assumed in this case it was warming itself.
Great Blue Herons
Great Blue Herons frequently like to be IN and ON trees. Often they are in trees to roost for the night while they can be found on logs or trees during the day to simply catch a few winks or “get away from it all”.
Great Blue Herons
And then there is the light. Late afternoon sun can bathe the heron in a soft, golden light.
Great Blue Herons
And here are some other shots of Great Blue Herons in their environment.
Black-Crowned Night Herons
Egrets
Cormorants
Cormorants often come across as comical because of their expressions and seeming anthropomorphic behaviors. I also enjoy how sociable they are with each other as you can see in some of these images.
Sandhill Cranes
Owls
The three images below are of three different Great Horned Owls I spotted over the last few years
In the two images below, an Eastern Screech Owl is perfectly camouflaged in its environment. Took me a while to find it - how about you?
Swans
In late Fall of 2022 we were graced with two rare swans in our area, a Tundra Swan and a Trumpeter Swan. Here are some of my favorite images of these two swans in a local lake.
Ducks and Grebes
Small Birds
Below - This American Goldfinch happened to be in front of a colorful sunflower for a split second before he flew away.
Below -Had to go all the way to Texas to find this male Cardinal
Below - I was incredibly lucky to get a photo of this Sedge Wren which was WAY off course and is an extremely shy bird.
Below - I couldn’t believe my luck last month in finding an American Avocet at a local state park combing the shore obviously just migrating through.
The three images below are all Belted Kingfishers
And here are some miscellaneous small birds in their environment
Gulf Coast Birds
In the Fall of 2022 I took a trip to the Texas Gulf Coast. The variety during this migration season was stunning. Here are a variety of these birds.
The first three images below are all the unique Roseate Spoonbill
