Take Me To Your Leader...

I was sitting on a driftwood log near the roped off area at Ft. Desoto taking a break, just enjoying the beach and Gulf of Mexico. I noticed some motion and was surprised as this Reddish Egret came striding out of the water to check me out. Looking closely at he or she I think life was a challenge. One leg is definetly larger than the other, and the ankle joints appear large/swollen maybe arthritic. Viewing the bird out of the water and at this angle it appears almost alien like with legs that seem too long for the body. Anyways, we spent a enjoyable few minutes together while I think it tried to figure out what I was. Comments and critique welcomed and apppreciated. Thank you for viewing.

Nikon D500
Nikon 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6 VRII AF-S ED image captured at 400mm
1/2000 F/5.6 Matrix Metering EV +2/3 ISO 640 AWB, camera supported by a monopod
Post processed in Lightroom Classic CC and Photoshop CC 2018, some tidying up of the beach
Cropped from horizontal to vertical for composition and presentation

Wow, those legs really are long! Big feet too. I like the straight-on stare. Wind-swept feathers add some interest. Nice clean beach with some nice patterns on the sand. Lots to like here!

All good with perfect focus on the eyes. It is a lot easier when they are standing still :) I like the blue swirlies at the top of the frame.

Were there any red tide problems while you were there?

with love, artie

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Originally Posted by Arthur Morris

All good with perfect focus on the eyes. It is a lot easier when they are standing still :) I like the blue swirlies at the top of the frame.

Were there any red tide problems while you were there?








with love, artie

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Hi Artie, this image was taken last year in Septmber. This evening on the local news there was a report on red tide. They interviewed beach goers at Ft. Desoto. Those interviewed said they saw no evidence of red tide, yet when the video feed showed the beach there was a couple dead fish.