photoartflightGreat Egret, Breeding Plumage On Nest
Another Great Egret with Breeding Plumage & Coloring on a Nest at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. I was using a Canon R for most of my trip and am quite impressed with the fine details and how it holds detail in the bright white of my photo subjects in bright sunlight. Most of my images on these types of birds was with no minus exposure compensation. On older Canon bodies I would probably be -1 full stop of exposure compensation to not blow out the details in the whites.
Different nearby nest with chicks
Nearby Great Egret, breeding plumage and eye lore coloring
photoartflight 
I’m in St. Augustine at least twice a year — late April and late October (more if I hop down from visiting my mom in Jacksonville Beach) — and I never miss the Alligator Farm. Never. (Matanzas Inlet is a good — and free! — shore and wader birding venue just 10 m. south in A1A. Give it a shot, or two, or three in early morning and late evening.)
Thanks for the info John! Always fun to photograph at different locations. One of my favorites was Lake Woodruff NWR for Sandhills Cranes with chicks. It was better years ago before a lot of damage from hurricanes. Years ago they also had a couple of Whopping Cranes that hung out with them. It was fun to see them flying with them!
Great. I’m adding Lake Woodruff NWR to my list. It looks not too far from my Crescent Beach home base. Yes, recent hurricanes have done a lot of habitat reshaping. I think it’s going to be hit or miss for a few years. for a long time N.E. Fla. above Daytona was largely unaffected by hurricanes because of the bend that the Gulf Stream takes out to see before going back west between Savannah and Charleston. Climate change is a constant, though, so perhaps this no longer is so.
Hi! I am still going through my images at St. Augustine, but next I will be working on Lake Woodruff. Sandhill Cranes with a chick, hawks and kites. It was much better years ago, but still fun. They also used to have River Otters keeping an eye on you as you walked through!
Wonderful results!
Thanks Belinda! It was a fun place to photograph! Lots of activity!
Spectacular!
Thanks Eliza! Still going through images to post here!