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For the Birds
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John J. Audubon, renowned for his portraiture of American birds, once said, "He who follows the feathered inhabitants of the forest and plains, however rough or tangled the paths may be, seldom fails to obtain the objects of his pursuit, provided he be possessed of due enthusiasm and perseverance.” Audubon used pen and ink, but today's photographers need that same enthusiasm and perseverance. Capturing great photos of birds is harder than you might think: getting close enough without startling them into flight, framing a moving subject just so, all the myriad fine-tuning to turn a mere photo into a portrait. The following photographs combine enthusiasm, perseverance and artistic vision.
Opposite page: Glossy ibis, taken at Altamaha WMA, Darien. Photo by Laurie Lohn Photography
Above: White ibis at Cypress Wetlands, in Port Royal, S.C. Photo by Heather Doray
Top right: Great egret and chicks at Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Kathy Neal
Right: Fledgling green heron twins, posing for their photo. Photo by Nick Riccio, Jr.
Above: A slightly wet, juvenile yellow-crowned night heron. Photo by Sarah Crawford Below: Tri-color heron, taken on Jekyll Island. Photo by Nick Riccio, Jr. Above: Snowy egret stalking through the surf. Photo by Greg Bartush IV Photography Below: Twisted great blue heron. Photo by Sarah Crawford
Above: A reddish egret, still as a statue. Photo by Nick Riccio, Jr. Below: A black skimmer, taken on Tybee Island. Photo by N. Carmela Stock Above: An adult snowy egret hunting for food. Photo by Sarah Crawford
Top left: A great egret in full mating display. Photo by Kathy Neal Top right: Seagull lifting off at sunrise. Photo by Amanda Brady Above left: A great egret coming in for a landing on its nest, taken near the Sidney Lanier Bridge. Photo by William Aspinwall Above right: A male belted kingfisher perching on a branch. Photo by Steve Thrasher
A special thank you to all the photographers who contributed their beautiful photos to this feature!
Southern Tides would like to invite readers to submit your photos. Three images will be selected and published each month. To submit your photos, join is on Flickr at: www.flickr.com/groups/southerntides/
Above: A brown pelican, taken at St. Simons village pier. Photo by Melinda Delacruz Below: Royal terns about to share a fish, taken on Jekyll Island. Photo by Steve Kendall Above: Roseate spoonbills taking time out for a little grooming. Photo by Laurie Lohn Photography
