I have never regretted plying the lakes and waterways around San Angelo, Texas, as I have always managed to come up with photos of egrets, herons, etc. Of course, the waterways now are more like dryways. O. C. Fisher lake is completely dry, Twin Buttes Reservoir is only 5% percent of capacity, and Lake Nasworthy has dropped two feet and counting. It is getting more difficult to launch a boat there anymore.
But that is not what this post is about. In trying to find a nice subject to write about I decided to show you my best of the best favorite photos of the Great Egret, (Ardea alba). These images have been taken in and around San Angelo in recent years, during wetter and better times.
Great Egret in reeds.
Great Egret “Night Flight”
Great Egret browsing in the reeds.
Great Egret “Liftoff”
Great Egret
Great Egret
Enjoy, and click on any image to see an enlargement.
Texas Tweeties by Bob Zeller 
Reblogged this on MJ Springett and commented:
Lovely birds, the link for his book is
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3431406
stunning images Bob!
Thanks, Sheila, I appreciate it. Nice to hear from you again. 🙂
Beautiful photos Bob!
Thanks, Linda, nice to hear from you. 🙂
These are certainly great photos, Bob. Loved the first and the third one, colors are fascinating! 🙂
Thanks, Nandini. I appreciate all of your kind comments.
We have 6 great egrets and several blue herons camped out in a refuge just west of us in NW Wisconsin, maybe they are getting ready to fly down your way?, great shots, thanks MJ
Send them down, we’ll make room. 🙂 Thanks for the comment, M.J.
No wonder this bird is one of your favorite-beautiful! And the night flight is stunning! Got your book today; thanks! A couple of birds in there I don’t know, but want to meet. You did good!!
Thanks, Beth, I appreciate your kind words. I’m glad you like the book. Hope you get to meet those two birds. 🙂
Those are “great” egret captures! I especially like the one in “liftoff.” I haven’t seen one of these myself, but did post a Snowy Egret photo today, captured recently at a local bird refuge. I just love their yellow feet. I understand about the “dryways”. The refuge is surprisingly dry compared to my last visit in May.
Thanks a bunch, Fergie. I appreciate all of your comments. I am going to check out your Snowie photo. 🙂
Beautiful bird Bob. (Bob’s birds) the inflight on is stunning.
Thank you very much, Martina. I really appreciate it. 🙂
This is a lovely series, Bob. Was just reading about this bird in Fergiemoto’s site as well. I would love to send you rain. We lost 50% of our wetlands in Alberta in one year a few years ago and it is nice to see it replenished somewhat after a long spell although I am sure the people with flooded basements are not appreciating it at all..Trust it will shift again for you and the wild ones.
Thanks, Jane. I appreciate your comments. We are patient down here, and we know that the rains will come again. 🙂
Incredible photos, Bob. Can’t pick a favourite. Such a majestic bird! I sure hope you get some rain soon – we could send you some of ours lately. I’ll leave out the half-hour hail storm that flattened my gardens yesterday though.
Thank you so much, Cindy. I agree, even we, can do without a hail-storm. 🙂
Yes – beautiful images of beautiful birds. I wonder how much the drought has affected the egrets’ numbers in your part of the world, and where they instead go in times of such widespread dry.
Thanks, Sid. I believe the drought may have had some effect here. I haven’t seen these in as great number that I used to see. As a matter of fact it has been about two weeks now since I saw the last one. But I am sure that there are still a few around, as my friends report seeing one once in awhile.
Amazing photos Bob!
Thank you very much, Alison. I really appreciate you. 🙂
Spectacular images Bob!!!
Thank you very much, David. I appreciate it.
The Night Flight is my fave! Very iconic.
Thanks, Cindy. See my explanation to Shannon how I was able to get that black background. 🙂
They’re all lovely…we enjoy sitting out by the creek and watching them fly just feet in front of us, effortlessly, quietly. They’re majestic animals in flight (that’s why the 2nd one is my favorite shot here!). How DID you get that black background?
Speaking of drought, you might enjoy this post of Lake Buchanan up your way. The kids really enjoyed walking the temporarily exposed archaeological site when the lake all but dried up. (http://wp.me/p28k6D-fh)
Thanks very much, Shannon. It is great, as always,to hear from you. About that black ground, well, I got lucky. The egret had taken off from the right, my camera picked up the right exposure and locked on as I panned, then he flew in front of a large building that was in complete shadow. That black that you see is actually that deep shadow, but since my camera had the right exposure locked in for the bird, it came out spectacularly perfect. I pays to get lucky once in a while.
Thanks for the link to your Lake Buchanan post. That is just how our O.C.Fisher Lake looks here right now. It got bone dry once back in the sixties and it got headlines then because a wildfire ignited in the “middle of our lake”.
An excellent Great Egret collection Bob. Usually there’s one that pops out as a favorite of mine but I like them all. It’s fairly unusual for me to get a chance at this species around here but I have seen a few.
Thank you so much, Ron. That is a great compliment and I appreciate it.
Beautiful Egret images Bob!
Thank you very much, Mia. I appreciate you.
Superb shots, Bob – you must be very proud of those! Love the ‘night flight’ especially.
Thank you, Jo. I really appreciate your compliments.
All the photos are spectacular, but the bottom one is my favorite..he reminds me a ballet dancer, poised with grace and elegance..
Thank you, Syl. I appreciate your comments, and I agree about the bottom one. That is why it is one of my personal favorites.
Great shots Bob! Those are pretty birds but you make them look gorgeous! 🙂
Thanks much, H.J.
what beautiful birds and images Bob!
Thank you so much, Melissa. I appreciate you. 🙂