The Egret has Landed

This morning saw me waiting for the sun to rise and cast some light on a bumblebee that was resting on what I believe was a sneezeweed flower. I'd invested in a monopod on Wednesday, primarily for close up work and this was going to be my first chance to try it out with my older Pentax and my DIY macro lens. It's a full 45 minutes now before the sun rises after I leave my workplace at 6 AM. The nights are gradually closing in, and I am now reluctantly coming to terms with the fact that I soon won't be able to continue my photography at Lakeside Park in the mornings, stopping off on my way home from work. It is simply too dark. I was resigned to my soon-to-be fate and thinking to myself that I probably wouldn't see much of anything before it was time to leave the lake when this beautiful great egret flew in, landing very close to me. I apologize for the blur in this photo, but I simply had to include the egret's flight:


Closely watched by myself and the great blue heron, the great egret worked its way along the bottom edge of the lake and closer to me. The great egret became hidden behind a clump of reeds and I patiently waited. My patience was eventually rewarded when the great egret revealed itself in all of its glory. The great egret flapped its wings forward as it steadied itself and as I snapped this photo. If I had to imagine what an angel's wings look like, I believe they would look like this:


My first sighting of a great egret at Lakeside Park, although I was told by other photographers last year that egrets do frequent the lake:


I captured a more detailed photo a little later from further along the edge of the lake:


This is the photo I had initially been waiting for. My investment in a monopod appears to have been a wise purchase. The monopod significantly reduced camera shake and enabled me to judge focus much more easily:


I had to put the monopod through its paces. This is, I believe, a tachinid fly (if you know it to be different, please leave a comment):


Another bumblebee on flowering goldenrod which is abundant at the moment:


And lastly, a monarch butterfly resting for a moment on a leaf:


Copyright © wildlakeside.blogpot.com 2019 Scott Atkinson All Rights Reserved.

Location: Lakeside Park, 206 Lakeside Dr, Kitchener, ON N2M 4C5, Canada

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