When not in the field photographing, I love to watch National Geographic specials or view YouTube videos on photography and wildlife. In one video, I watched with fascination as they showed how a bird will use its wings to create a canopy to take the glare off of water when fishing. The shading behavior works much the same as a person wearing sunglasses to better see below the surface. I’ve never seen that behavior in Iowa, but when in SW Florida, I saw this Reddish Egret spread its wings to create shade so it could see its prey more easily in the water. I’ve also read that fish will swim under the egret attracted by the patch of shade. Had I not seen this behavior, I would have totally missed what was happening. This was photographed at San Carlos Bay – Bunche Beach Preserve, Fort Myers, Florida.
