Great Egret: One of Nature's most Photographable birds

No matter what the background, Great Egrets stand out beautifully. Here's one with weeds in the foreground, water in the background, yet all the attention goes to the Egret. Taken at Whitewater Draw in Southeast Arizona.

Great Egret

Great Egret V

Next a wonderful Great Egret Photo taken early one morning at Cibola National Wildlife Refuge on the Arizona side of the Colorado River. I love how the sunlight broke through to "spotlight" the Egret. I also how the pure white --- whitest white plumage.

Great Egret

Great Egret: Still More

Continuing with my Great Egret "5" Star Photos comes this one from Sweetwater Wetlands in Tucson, Arizona:  I love the contrast and the detail of the Egret:

Great Egret

Great Egret III

Great Egret photographed at Christopher Columbus Lake, Tucson, Arizona:

Great Egret

Great Egret - II

Continuing with my "5" Star Photos in general and the Great Egret in particular, here is one taken at Sweetwater Wetlands in Tucson:

Great Egret

Great Egret: The Most Photographable Bird in Nature

Great Egret: The Most Photographable Bird in Nature? Well, maybe. There are many very colorful birds -- especially the "birds of paradise" found in New Guinea. And yet, the pure white plumage of the  Great Egret provides such a wonderful contrast to everything -- anything -- in nature that photos just jump off the page when you look at them.

So, next in my series of "5" Star Photos is the Great Egret. It is so beautiful and photographable that I have more "5" Star Great Egret photos than any other bird. Here's the first -- and my favorite:

Great Egret: Agua Caliente, Arizona

Bears, Pronghorn, Elk, Oh My .....

It's still just a matter of luck.

The strategy for the Wildlife Photographer is to put yourself in the place with the most potential. If you want to find and photograph a bear, then looking in downtown Tucson probably won't yield a positive result. Neither would looking in the Sonoran Desert. Mountainous areas with trees provide a much higher potential. Bears like leaves, berries, nuts, bugs found on and around trees etc. 

So while I was in Flagstaff the last couple of days, I got up just before dawn and off I went in search of bears. First, the San Francisco Peaks and second Mount Elden. Both of these are areas where I have found and photographed bears before. So I put myself in areas with the most potential. 

Still, it is a matter of luck! I saw one bear charging across the 4x4 mountain road (up Mt. Elden). By the time I got to that spot he was nowhere to be found. I searched the area for a while but without seeing him again.  Had I been there 15 seconds earlier I might have gotten a much better look  .... even a photograph. Had I gotten there 5 seconds later, I wouldn't have seen him at all. Right place, right time ... just not exactly the right moment in time.

"Now, a few words on looking for things. When you go looking for something specific, your chances of finding it are very bad. Because of all the things in the world, you're only looking for one of them. When you go looking for anything at all, your chances of finding it are very good. Because of all the things in the world, you're sure to find some of them." Daryl Zero.

Although I did briefly see the Bear, and I saw and photographed some Pronghorn and Elk, my best photo of the two days was unexpected, a very nice male Hepatic Tanager:

Hepatic Tanager