From Whitewater Draw's Great Egret to Agua Caliente's Great Egret. Yesterday morning I didn't have to make breakfast so was up at the crack of dawn to drive the 5 miles to Agua Caliente. It was 35 degrees, so a bit on the chilly side. I first startled a Great Blue Heron that flew across the pond to sit on top of a huge palm tree. But, then I came across this beautiful Great Egret. He wasn't the slightest bit nervous about my being around. He was totally focused on eating small fish and insects in the shallow water around the palm trees. One of the best things about digital photography -- from a wildlife photographer's point of view -- is the lighting. But in my slide film days (actually just three years ago) I would need ASA 100 for sun shots and 200 or 400 ASA for shots in the woods. I remember at time near Roche Lake in British Columbia I saw a nice sized White Tail Deer buck eating grass in an open field. I had ASA 100 film which was ideal and started taking photos. Then I heard some noise behind me, and in the woods was a mother black bear and her two cubs. Although I took photos of the bear, none were really good. Another time I found Sea Lions in a cave on the Oregon Coast. I had ASA 400 with me, but that just ended up being a waste of film. Now, with my Canon 5D Mk II, I can shoot the Equivalent of ASA 50, turn around and shoot ASA 3200. That's almost in the dark. This egret is a perfect example. It was dawn, the sun hadn't come up yet, and the egret was in water surrounded by huge palms. The camera registered 1600 ASA. How did we even do it without digital?
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