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Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Great Egret's Lunch


IMG_1829 Great Egret 1
Great Egret ( Ardea alba)

IMG_1830 Great egret catching a vole 2

IMG_1831 Great Egret catching a vole 3

IMG_1836 Great Egret eating a vole 8

IMG_1837 Great Egret swallowing a vole 9

IMG_1840 Great Egret 10

Shared on Lisa Gordon's Creative Exchange here.
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37 comments:

  1. RuthTuesday, February 22, 2011 at 10:55:00 AM PST

    Wow.

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  2. rochambeauTuesday, February 22, 2011 at 10:57:00 AM PST

    I didn't know egrets are carnivorous!
    Ruth is right..... WOW!!!
    Will email you in a bit~~
    xox
    Constance

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  3. Relyn LawsonTuesday, February 22, 2011 at 11:35:00 AM PST

    I can hardly believe you caught all these. They are amazing!

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  4. Lisa GordonWednesday, February 23, 2011 at 3:55:00 AM PST

    I think these are such magnificent creatures, and you have captured it beautifully. As Relyn said, the fact that you got all of these shots is truly amazing. Just beautiful!

    Thank you so much for sharing these at The Creative Exchange this week.

    Have a wonderful day!

    lisa.

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  5. PatWednesday, February 23, 2011 at 5:17:00 AM PST

    Great series of photos of the Egret in action! Nice job!

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  6. margieWednesday, February 23, 2011 at 6:31:00 AM PST

    what a capture! yours and the egret.

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  7. AnonymousWednesday, February 23, 2011 at 7:00:00 AM PST

    What perfect timing...I love watching egrets, they are so fascinating! I just love their graceful movements even when eating! You captured these scenes splendidly!

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  8. AnonymousWednesday, February 23, 2011 at 7:43:00 AM PST

    You must have patience out of this world to have laid in waiting for these shots! WoW! =)

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  9. MargaretWednesday, February 23, 2011 at 8:21:00 AM PST

    I'm sure it was along wait, but it looks like once the food was caught, it all happened quickly. I can't believe how fat that ... mole? rat? is! Stunning, beautiful captures. Thank you.

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  10. SusanWednesday, February 23, 2011 at 9:37:00 AM PST

    Awesome captures, DB! Yes, birds are omnivores. My hens eat frogs, toads, snakes, mice, etc. It's interesting to watch.

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  11. AnonymousWednesday, February 23, 2011 at 10:40:00 AM PST

    What a great series of shots! Proof that patience pays off in photography. :)

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  12. donaThursday, February 24, 2011 at 4:05:00 PM PST

    Nice photos. We also have many sedentary egrets living in the Venice lagoon. And they also often come to the city for a walk... :)

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  13. KalaFriday, February 25, 2011 at 12:00:00 PM PST

    Wow. The timing of these shots is just great!

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  14. VagabondeFriday, February 25, 2011 at 12:55:00 PM PST

    I enjoyed reading your posts. I was amazed at the artistry of the Jelly Bellies paintings. What a delight for the eyes and the palate it must be to attend the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. I am pleased you showed it to us again. The egret pictures are superb.

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  15. Marilyn MillerSaturday, February 26, 2011 at 3:04:00 PM PST

    Nice shots!

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  16. susannaSaturday, February 26, 2011 at 5:33:00 PM PST

    What?????!!! Egrets are carnivores????!! I never knew that. Huh.The way this one uses his/her beak reminds of chopsticks.

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  17. Rosie GreySunday, February 27, 2011 at 8:33:00 AM PST

    Wow, what a gorgeous series! Great captures! Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

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  18. DutchbabySunday, February 27, 2011 at 6:36:00 PM PST

    Dear Ruth,
    Exactly what I said when this unfolded.

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  19. Ginnie HartMonday, February 28, 2011 at 5:52:00 AM PST

    Are you kidding me? Just one big gulp and that's all she wrote???? I bet you were gobsmacked!

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  20. DutchbabyMonday, February 28, 2011 at 11:19:00 AM PST

    Dear Constance,
    I always think of egrets eating fish, frogs, and other small aquatic animals. This is the first time I saw one eat a land mammal.

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  21. DutchbabyMonday, February 28, 2011 at 11:24:00 AM PST

    Dear Relyn,
    I was so lucky. I happened to be photographing him when he suddenly went for the kill. You can imagine what a snapping fool I became...

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  22. DutchbabyMonday, February 28, 2011 at 11:34:00 AM PST

    Dear lisa,
    Thank you for offering the Creative Exchange forum. I captured quite a few more shots, you can see more on my Flickr photostream by clicking one of the images and viewing the Stanford Dish set.

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  23. DutchbabyMonday, February 28, 2011 at 11:37:00 AM PST

    Dear Pat,
    Thanks! Your photos are pretty good too!

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  24. DutchbabyTuesday, March 1, 2011 at 5:43:00 AM PST

    Dear margie,
    :-D

    The egret fed his stomach and I fed my soul.

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  25. DutchbabyTuesday, March 1, 2011 at 5:46:00 AM PST

    Dear tchesney,
    Thank you. Egrets are indeed graceful and I appreciate that they generally move slowly, allowing us a reasonable chance of success in photographing them.

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  26. DutchbabyTuesday, March 1, 2011 at 5:55:00 AM PST

    Dear Tricia,
    Au contraire! It was just dumb luck. I happened to be taking some pictures of this egret when all of a sudden he made this kill. All these shots were taken within one minute of each other.

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  27. DutchbabyTuesday, March 1, 2011 at 6:25:00 AM PST

    Dear Margaret,
    I was not a long wait - only serendipity. I took a long close-up view of one of the shots. I think it might have been a vole. You can see a closer look here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/godutchbaby/5488442153/lightbox/

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  28. DutchbabyTuesday, March 1, 2011 at 7:25:00 AM PST

    Dear Susan,
    I can't get the image of a hen eating a snake out of my mind. Eegads!

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  29. DutchbabyTuesday, March 1, 2011 at 7:33:00 AM PST

    Dear angelcel,
    I wish I could claim that it was patience to gave me these photos. I was just plain lucky.

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  30. DutchbabyTuesday, March 1, 2011 at 7:37:00 AM PST

    Dear Kala,
    Thanks, I hope you are enjoying your break!

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  31. DutchbabyTuesday, March 1, 2011 at 7:51:00 AM PST

    Cara dona,
    What a sight it must be to see an egret in the city of Venice!

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  32. DutchbabyWednesday, March 2, 2011 at 8:20:00 AM PST

    Dear Vagabonde,
    Welcome back from your Vagabonde travels! Your posts from Hawaii are a real treat. Thank you for taking the trouble to read my previous posts and your kind words.

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  33. DutchbabyWednesday, March 2, 2011 at 8:27:00 AM PST

    Dear Marilyn,
    Thanks!

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  34. DutchbabyWednesday, March 2, 2011 at 8:35:00 AM PST

    Dear susanna,
    Your chopsticks comment is so true! He held the prey there until it stopped squeaking and then down the hatch it went.

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  35. DutchbabyWednesday, March 2, 2011 at 8:43:00 AM PST

    Dear Rosie,
    Thank you. I enjoyed seeing your beautiful crocus this morning!

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  36. DutchbabyWednesday, March 2, 2011 at 5:36:00 PM PST

    Dear Ginnie,
    Yup, just one big gulp. Lunchtime was over in no time flat. It was quite impressive!

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  37. lorilaireThursday, March 3, 2011 at 2:20:00 PM PST

    Impressionnant le repas de l'aigrette Garzette !
    Bizz
    lori

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