4. Getting Close: Water Birds

1. Long-legged waders: These guys can be pretty easy. Snowy egrets are always hungry, and there may be a large crop of young birds to photograph in fall and winter. They like shorelines where there are reeds and weeds to hide them. Early morning is best, though I’ve gotten some good late-in-the-day shots too. Find a coastal trail that allows you to see through clear breaks in the plants. Look for patches of white or gray – that’s your quarry, great or snowy egrets, or great blue herons – and walk slowly. When you spot a distant bird, put the tripod down and photograph if there's a clear shot you like. Then pick up the tripod, holding it in front of you, and slowly move closer for the next shot. You’ll often see egrets and herons perched together, though most ardeids are solitary hunters.
   
   TIP: You may be tempted to carry the tripod over your shoulder after you first spot the bird (and you can be pretty sure they’ve already spotted you). Don’t do it! For some reason, taking a tripod off your shoulder for a picture is like raising a gun to shoot - it can spook them. You’re less likely to scare ‘em carrying the tripod in front of you. And that’s another good reason to use the Wimberley Sidekick and a 400mm or 500mm lens – the Sidekick and ‘smaller’ lens make things light enough to carry that way.