On 22 December 2014 I spent the afternoon at Yasugawa near my home. A chilly southwest wind and a clear sky made the winter light very nice.
Yasugawa today at 13:34. It was cold, but the light was good. I took photos from down near the big tree on the left. pic.twitter.com/V4wOwGmpW8
— Greg Peterson (@glpjp) December 22, 2014
At first there was no activity besides a few crows and a kingfisher that flew along the river and disappeared in some bushes along the bank. For over an hour I saw only some sparrows and wagtails, a couple of Eurasian wigeons, and a Northern shoveler.
Two photos of a solitary Northern Shoveler in winter plumage. pic.twitter.com/FhXj0yQiFf
— Greg Peterson (@glpjp) December 22, 2014
I was thinking about leaving when I saw some great white egrets (Egretta alba) about 150 meters upstream. As I was focusing my lens, the birds flew away. Then I saw five of them circling overhead. I remained motionless, and four of them landed in the river right in front of me.
After standing for more than an hour, I was about to quit. Then four great white egrets landed right in front of me. pic.twitter.com/2jVdb070oS
— Greg Peterson (@glpjp) December 22, 2014
As one of the egrets walked toward me, it nearly filled the frame of my viewfinder as it turned and faced south.
A great white egret. The birds were so close that I was afraid to move at all. Stillness and silence paid off nicely. pic.twitter.com/pNb3Jzdevm
— Greg Peterson (@glpjp) December 22, 2014
Two stood closely together, also facing south for a while.
Two great white egrets standing in Yasugawa. pic.twitter.com/UKDTnYZzJw
— Greg Peterson (@glpjp) December 22, 2014
As the sky became overcast, they flew over to the Yasu side of the river, where some cormorants and herons were standing. One stayed behind for a few minutes and finally flew to join the other birds.
One great white egret remained as the sky became overcast. Finally it flew to join others with herons and cormorants. pic.twitter.com/DmEoy0dBcs
— Greg Peterson (@glpjp) December 22, 2014
When I left my house, I was determined to make video recordings of the kingfisher that I’d photographed the day before (Kingfisher in Flight). I saw the kingfisher briefly, but it did not go to its its hunting spot.
The great white herons were a wonderful surprise. The few that remain in this area usually stay very close to the riverbank, too far away to photograph. Once again nature has blessed me and rewarded patient vigilance with great and unexpected beauty.