Reflecting on Kiawah’s Birds – WPC

“Every bird at the marsh fills us with a little light.”

Lynn Thomson

EGRET, MORNING LIGHT

Kiawah is well-known as a birder’s paradise. Because our birds spend much of their time in the marshes and lagoons, reflections can be found most any time of day. Over the years my lens has been drawn to many of these beautiful creatures’ reflections, some of which I’m sharing this week in response to Nancy’s Reflecting challenge.

NIGHTFALL ON THE MARSH

“Darkness evaporates and the singing birds come from nowhere.”

Amit Ray

The capture above was featured in a local Kiawah publication in sepia. Although I prefer that version, I thought I’d be consistent this week and include the original in color. I’ve always liked the way the light is filtering through the bird’s wings.

BROWN PELICAN

“I would like to paint the way a bird sings.”

Claude Monet

Pelicans are plentiful here on Kiawah and are often seen soaring overhead in “pelican patrols”.  It’s quite unusual, on the other hand, to find a single bird paddling through one of our lagoons. Interesting creatures, brown pelicans were nearly pushed to extinction before controls were placed on harmful pesticides. They’re a wonderful example of how nature can be affected by the actions of man, both positive and negative.

TWO OR FOUR?

“In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.”

Robert Lynd

Sometimes particular moments become frozen in our mind’s-eye. I can remember quite clearly the day I captured this image. It was the first time I’d seen a lagoon being drained – a fairly infrequent maintenance event here on the island.  It turns out that when the lagoons get quite low, the birds flock to the site for what I can only assume are easy-pickings for their powerful beaks. Happily, a photographer friend was also shooting that day and very generously loaned me her 500mm lens for a few shots. As much as I loved shooting with it, I fear I’d be out of action for way too long if I tried to carry it around for any length of time.

GREAT BLUE POSING

“Wherever there are birds, there is hope.”

Mehmet Murat Ildan

I was inspired to feature the beautiful birds of Kiawah by a session with a good friend this week.  My thanks to her for the stroll down memory lane – which coincidentally led me to this week’s response. My best wishes to all for a week filled wtih beauty.

Tags: weekly photo challenge

• May 11, 2017
• Birds, Egret, Heron, Kiawah, Nature, Photography, Wildlife
• 110 Comments