Weekly Photo Challenge – COLOR II

“Colors are the smiles of nature.”

Leigh Hunt

BLUE HERON FAMILY

This week several members of Kiawah Island’s photography club made our annual visit to Magnolia Plantation and Gardens outside of nearby Charleston, SC. If you are ever in the area, be sure to make a stop, it is an incredible place.

The bird life at Magnolia is amazing, and between their courting rituals, nest building and chick-raising, it was hard to know where to look at any given moment. I was obsessed with the blue heron family in my opening photo – the chicks working hard to convince mama it was lunchtime, and clearly anticipating the next course in the photo below.

WHICH WAY DID SHE GO BRO?

“There is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice.”

John Calvin

But it was not just the beautiful blue herons that caught our eyes and our lenses. We were welcomed upon arrival by a gloriously-colored peacock showing off his best stuff in a nearby tree.

LOOK AT ME, I’M BEAUTIFUL

A lovely, green-eyed Anhinga posed nicely for the cameras.

GREEN-EYED GLANCE

“Color and I are one; I am a painter.”

Paul Klee

But the stars of the show were the beautiful, white egrets engaged in their mating rituals. No color, you might say? Ah but you would be wrong. Because during the mating season, egrets have an amazing green color around their eyes which potential mates find attractive along with their breeding plumage.

BEAUTIFUL COUPLE

“Beauty without color seems somehow to be part of another world.”

M. Shikibu

Some say assigning emotion to animals or birds is just wishful thinking. No one could spend a day among these beautiful avian couples and families and believe that to be true. Do you agree??

Stay tuned for a post on the glorious flora of Magnolia Gardens soon.

To see more colorful weekly challenge entries, go here.

Tags: COLOR, Peacock, photography, weekly challenge

76 thoughts on “Weekly Photo Challenge – COLOR II”

Naomi Baltuck on April 25, 2013 at 2:52 am said:

Wow, Tina. These shots are AMAZING! Particularly that last one. Just gorgeous!

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- Tina Schell on April 25, 2013 at 8:24 am said:
  
  Thanks Naomi, that last shot was one of my favorites. They look so elegant, don’t they? One of these days I have to post some of the shots I have of them looking uncoordinated and funny. They really are fun to see and shoot!
  
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bluebrightly on April 25, 2013 at 12:32 am said:

Those egrets – wow….

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- Tina Schell on April 25, 2013 at 8:25 am said:
  
  Thanks Lynn, nice of them to pose for me! LOL
  
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Maya on April 21, 2013 at 6:21 pm said:

The egrets are absolutely phenomenal!

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- Tina Schell on April 21, 2013 at 6:34 pm said:
  
  Thanks Maya – happy I discovered your blog, it’s terrific.
  
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Jerry on April 19, 2013 at 9:56 am said:

Lucky bird…yea, you with the camera. Beautiful.

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- Tina Schell on April 19, 2013 at 9:53 pm said:
  
  Thanks Jerry!
  
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  - Jerry on April 19, 2013 at 10:42 pm said:
    
    😉
poppytump on April 18, 2013 at 1:58 pm said:

Those Peacock legs !!
Love the Beautiful Couple under a bridal veil of feathers … very coy 😉
Wonderful Tina .

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- Tina Schell on April 18, 2013 at 3:20 pm said:
  
  Thanks PT! It was a wonderful day–birds were exquisite 🙂
  
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Lee Kaye on April 14, 2013 at 10:30 am said:

HOW DID YOU GET THE BIRDS TO POSE for you??? luv lee

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- Tina Schell on April 14, 2013 at 10:50 am said:
  
  LOL, by standing in one place until my limbs cramped up ! 🙂
  
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Photography Journal Blog on April 14, 2013 at 9:44 am said:

The colors in these photos are just perfect. Well done.

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- Tina Schell on April 14, 2013 at 10:02 am said:
  
  Thanks so much! Nature made them perfect, I just did my best to capture them 🙂
  
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Debbie on April 13, 2013 at 2:56 pm said:

Hi Tina. I love you blog and have nominated you for the Super Sweet Blogger Award. Details are here http://travelwithintent.com/2013/04/13/sweet-blogging-award/ if you choose to accept. Happy continued blogging. Debbie

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- Tina Schell on April 13, 2013 at 5:14 pm said:
  
  Hi Debbie; thanks so much – that’s really SWEET of you (LOL). Watch for an acceptance post! Happy blogging to you too 🙂
  
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april kanew on April 13, 2013 at 8:23 am said:

love these…great eye…especially ‘i’m beautiful’ incredible!!

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- Tina Schell on April 13, 2013 at 8:29 am said:
  
  :-). Thanks April. He was certainly showing us what he was made of!
  
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bentehaarstad on April 13, 2013 at 6:20 am said:

Beautiful bird photos, Tina. The couple is my favorite.

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- Tina Schell on April 13, 2013 at 7:45 am said:
  
  Thanks Bente, mine too 🙂
  
  Sent from my iPad
  
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pommepal on April 13, 2013 at 3:50 am said:

Beautiful photos and I know birds have personalities. We had a family of magpies adopted us and we loved to watch their antics as the babies grew up and the interaction of them all as a family.

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- Tina Schell on April 13, 2013 at 4:35 am said:
  
  Thanks pommepal! Pretty obnoxious of us to think we are the only ones with emotions isn’t it?!
  
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  - pommepal on April 13, 2013 at 8:30 am said:
    
    It certainly is…
Sylvia on April 12, 2013 at 9:11 pm said:

Tina, your images of the heron family, babies and egrets are awesome. You continue to raise the bar for excellence in photography and also give many of us a goal to strive for. My hat’s off to you, lead on! Sylvia

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- Tina Schell on April 12, 2013 at 10:26 pm said:
  
  What a lovely compliment Sylvia, thanks so much!
  
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Carole Davie on April 12, 2013 at 5:05 pm said:

You are so talented! I just love your pictures and your commentary is terrific as well. Thanks for sharing this part of yourself.
Carole D.

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- Tina Schell on April 12, 2013 at 10:27 pm said:
  
  Thanks Carole, I very much appreciate your support!
  
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Ese' s Voice on April 12, 2013 at 12:50 pm said:

Perfect captures, Tina, and amazing colors!

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- Tina Schell on April 12, 2013 at 10:28 pm said:
  
  Thanks Ese! The birds were wonderful subjects 🙂
  
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Leslee on April 12, 2013 at 11:39 am said:

Love your photos -especially the sunlight shining through the beaks. Wish I could have been there with you all.

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- Tina Schell on April 12, 2013 at 10:28 pm said:
  
  Thanks Leslee, it’s so amazing. You need to get out there and shoot!
  
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Gracie on April 12, 2013 at 11:35 am said:

Wow! These are amazing, Tina!

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- Tina Schell on April 12, 2013 at 10:29 pm said:
  
  Thanks Gracie! It was a terrific outing and the birds were everywhere! We are so lucky to be close by
  
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Amy on April 12, 2013 at 10:03 am said:

Amazing shots! The blue heron family is a wonderful capture. Great shot of the egrets!

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- Tina Schell on April 12, 2013 at 10:30 pm said:
  
  Thanks Amy, it was so fun to shoot them!
  
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Pingback: Weekly Photo Challenge: Color | Flickr Comments
lensandpensbysally on April 12, 2013 at 9:01 am said:

How fortunate you are to have such beauty to capture. The images are engaging and pull me into their majesty. Thanks.

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- Tina Schell on April 12, 2013 at 9:04 am said:
  
  Thanks Sally – fortunate indeed. Springtime at the Garden is truly magical.
  
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Steve Schwartzman on April 12, 2013 at 8:20 am said:

How well you’ve recorded the momentary symmetry of the egrets. The green color near the eyes was a bonus.

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- Tina Schell on April 12, 2013 at 8:22 am said:
  
  Thanks Steve – momentary is right! They don’t stop for long, do they?!
  
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Jane Iwan on April 12, 2013 at 6:35 am said:

Beautiful, Tina.

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- Tina schell on April 12, 2013 at 7:41 am said:
  
  Thanks Jane, it’s a gloriouslace!
  
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elPadawan on April 12, 2013 at 6:05 am said:

Very Nice… I know so little about ornithology, I probably wouldn’t be able to name half of the birds you saw… 🙂

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- Tina Schell on April 12, 2013 at 7:42 am said:
  
  I know the names of about 6 myself, these just happen to be 4 of them LOL!
  
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Tom Weber on April 12, 2013 at 5:51 am said:

Great shots, Tina. Love the two intertwined herons(?).

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- Tina Schell on April 14, 2013 at 12:28 pm said:
  
  Thanks Tom, that one is my favorite 🙂
  
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Donna Bailey on April 12, 2013 at 5:16 am said:

you are really talented!

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- Tina Schell on April 12, 2013 at 7:43 am said:
  
  Thanks BD, good to hear from you!
  
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Tricia Booker Photography on April 12, 2013 at 5:02 am said:

Great photos! The heron family is wonderful. They were sitting on eggs when I was there so seeing the beautiful result is fun!

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- Tina Schell on April 12, 2013 at 7:44 am said:
  
  Thanks Tricia! I love seeing the eggs in the nest! We were there a bit earlier last year and the moms were turning the eggs like crazy! The egret chicks hadn’t hatched yet this year so I want to try to get back for that.
  
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  - Tricia Booker Photography on April 12, 2013 at 8:29 am said:
    
    I so wish I lived closer! I’d be going all of the time. I’ll look forward to seeing more of your photos!
restlessjo on April 12, 2013 at 4:43 am said:

Your white egrets are absolutely awesome, as is that first amazing capture. Brilliant, Tina.

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- Tina Schell on April 12, 2013 at 7:46 am said:
  
  Thanks Jo. The egrets can be so graceful, can’t they? I had so many lovely shots of them, especially flying around with twigs for their nests, but I just loved the serenity of the shot I ended up using.
  
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Sonel on April 12, 2013 at 3:25 am said:

Absolutely stunning entry once again Tina. I absolutely adore your photo’s! They are gorgeous! Thanks for sharing. 🙂

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- Tina Schell on April 12, 2013 at 7:47 am said:
  
  What a lovely compliment Sonel, thanks so much.
  
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  - Sonel on April 12, 2013 at 8:05 am said:
    
    You are very welcome hon. 🙂
My Life Afterglow on April 12, 2013 at 2:17 am said:

Wow! Beautiful! 🙂

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- Tina Schell on April 12, 2013 at 7:51 am said:
  
  Thanks Michael! My husband and I are making our first trip to China in Sept.m loved your Wall shot!
  
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  - My Life Afterglow on April 12, 2013 at 9:30 am said:
    
    Oh wow!!! Yay! Shanghai is one of my favourite cities in the world and Great Wall is a must see. Can’t wait to read your travel adventures and see all your gorgeous photos there!
edithlevyphotography on April 11, 2013 at 11:45 pm said:

Fantastic images Tina.

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- Tina Schell on April 12, 2013 at 7:53 am said:
  
  Thank you Edith-especially appreciate a nice compliment from a wonderful photographer!
  
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Anna Marie on April 11, 2013 at 11:30 pm said:

Incredible shots. I especially like the couple.

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- Tina Schell on April 12, 2013 at 7:54 am said:
  
  Thank younAnna Marie! They were quite elegant and majestic in person!
  
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Kathleen parramore on April 11, 2013 at 11:10 pm said:

Looks like the early morning was worth it…great shots!

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- Tina Schell on April 11, 2013 at 11:11 pm said:
  
  Still trying to catch up LOL! Thanks Kath 🙂
  
  Sent from my iPad
  
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Mary Lynn on April 11, 2013 at 11:05 pm said:

Those are gorgeous! I went on Wed. and we may have the same equipment, but the camera operator makes all the difference! I aspire to your talent 🙂

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- Tina Schell on April 11, 2013 at 11:11 pm said:
  
  You’re very sweet ML! I know you got some great shots! Looking forward to the critique! How was the light on Wednesday?
  
  Sent from my iPad
  
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Vladimir Brezina on April 11, 2013 at 10:56 pm said:

Beautiful!!

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- Tina Schell on April 11, 2013 at 10:58 pm said:
  
  Thanks Vladimir! It was a wonderful day. I’m anxious to get back there. Is NY in full bloom yet?
  
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  - Vladimir Brezina on April 11, 2013 at 11:01 pm said:
    
    No, still waiting for the fruit trees, which pretty much define spring in this neighborhood… but they are coming on very fast now…
elisaruland on April 11, 2013 at 10:55 pm said:

Gorgeous, gorgeous shots, Tina!

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- Tina Schell on April 11, 2013 at 10:57 pm said:
  
  Thanks so much Elisa. It was almost sensory overload there was so much to shoot!
  
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gegebearbear on April 11, 2013 at 10:53 pm said:

Thanks for visiting our blog!

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Jane Lurie on April 11, 2013 at 10:28 pm said:

Great shots!

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- Tina Schell on April 11, 2013 at 10:36 pm said:
  
  Thanks Jane 🙂 Such a great day!
  
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