Great Egret in a Public Park

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Tucson has a surprising number of public parks given that it is a small city. Perhaps even more surprising is that many of these parks are havens for wildlife, including species that one might not expect to find in our desert environment.

Water and foliage attracts wildlife in the desert. There are few natural bodies of water remaining within dozens of miles of Tucson, so man-made ponds and streams serve as wildlife magnets. In some of our public parks one can occasionally encounter creatures that are quite scarce and difficult to find in our desert environment.

The other day I was in a public park that is located in a heavily urbanized part of Tucson. There, I spotted a foraging Great Egret on the bank of a small pond.

I stood only about five or six meters from the egret as it foraged. The bird’s indifference to my presence enabled me to work on aspects of my photography — lighting, composition, exposure — that I often do not have time to consider when I get fleeting glances of wildlife in the field.

Was my pleasure in photographing the egret mitigated by the fact that it seemed to be relatively tame? Not really. Of course, I enjoy the thrill of capturing images of elusive subjects. But, getting an image as nice as is this is more than adequate compensation the absence of a challenging environment.

Image made with a Canon R5, Canon RF 100-500mm f4.5-7.1 IS L zoom lens, M setting (auto ISO), ISO 100, f7.1 @ 1/800, -3 stops exposure compensation.