Angelic Wings

A lifelong love affair

Jul 31, 2024

I felt it as a child, as far back as I can remember. Even as a very young boy I was fascinated by one, particular kind of bird. The Great Egret.

Across the Potomac River. From the mouth of Goose Creek.

They’re not small, colorful, or cute, and they don’t have a pretty song. But their elegant lines captivate me.

Great egrets can be tall. They can reach the bottom of the size range for the generally larger, great blue herons, i.e. four and a half feet tall. Great blues sometimes reach six feet in height, taller than me! Those herons are impressive in their own way.

But the egret is built differently, with a proportionately larger wingspan. Their wings are substantially (1/3) wider than they are tall. The length and shape of their wings, accentuated by their incredible white feathers, provide a type of elegance that no other animal quite possesses.

For me, they conjure visions of mystical angel wings. Victoria’s Secret has co-opted the vision, but the egrets came first.

Long before I was a photographer, the vision of egrets captured my imagination. Now, of course, they are irresistible. Particularly when I catch them in morning light, whether they are fully illuminated or backlit.

I watched them hunt for years in my childhood home in Northern California, in Humboldt Bay and in the marshes between Arcata and Eureka. Like herons, they are very effective predators. There’s just something different about the way they look, even when hunting, like the one above. No offense to the herons, who have their own stunning features, but herons don’t look like this:

Or this:

Or this:

Finally, I love being able to look closely at the feathers, aided by zoom lenses or binoculars. Egrets generally won’t let you get close. I was about 50-60 yards away for these photographs, depending on the shot (excluding the opening image). Some egrets will flee even at twice that distance. Happily, this one did not.

I think my love affair with the great egrets will last as long as I do. Next time you see one, say hey for me.

Until then,

P.S.: One of my most popular prints is of a nesting egret. It doesn’t fit the style of these images, so it’s not included in this letter. But you can see it in this link if you’d like. Or even order a print, if it suits you.

Limited Edition Prints for Sale

Another channel of my photography. Oof. But as promised, I’ve got this new set of Limited Edition prints available for purchase. Any unsold African wildlife images from last fall, as promised, have been retired from circulation.

Each edition consists of ten Numbered Prints and two Artists Prints, 16x24” silver halide, with certificate of authentication. As before, these are limited both by number and duration of the offer. If you’d like one or more for that special person, don’t hesitate. You wouldn't want to become he who is lost!

Winter Fog Series, Limited Edition Prints for Sale, click this text

Is there something here you like or dislike? Questions? Have anything else to say? Let us all know by clicking on the Comments button below, and express yourself. Don’t be shy, now.