Peering Thru Feathers

by Dawn Currie

Canvas Print

$65

Framed Print

$83

Art Print

$23

Poster

$23

Metal Print

$71

Acrylic Print

$79

Wood Print

$51

Greeting Card

$5.95

iPhone Case

$26

Title

Peering Thru Feathers

Artist

Dawn Currie

Medium

Photograph - Digital

Description

Photographic artwork by Dawn Currie - Two Great Egret chicks snuggled together, 'Peering thru Feathers'.

Featured on cover of PhotoPlace Gallery 'Up Close and Personal' Show Catalog

Awards and PSA International Exhibitions:
- 17th PSSNY International Exhibition of Photography
- Donegal 2016 International Exhibition
- FKNS Winter Circuit 2016 - Novi Sad, Kula, Kotor, and Aleksinac
- Maitland International Salon of Photography
- Queensland International Digital Circuit Gold Coast Exhibition
- Queensland International Digital Circuit Mt Gravatt Exhibition
- Queensland International Digital Circuit Townsville Exhibition
- San Joaquin Valley International Exhibition
- Victoria Circuit, Belghoiria
- Victoria Circuit, Bohemia

Exhibits:
- Brevard County Government Center
- Gallery of Hope
- Merritt's Table
- Moore Justice Center
- Space Coast Cancer Center
- 1000 Views

Featured on Fine Art America/Pixels:
- A Birding Group - Wings
- ABC Group's Open Week
- Beauty
- Bird Watchers
- Egrets
- FAA Portraits - Birds
- I Love Nature Photography
- Images That Excite You
- Premium FAA Artists
- The Artistic Photographer
- Touch of Color on Black on White
- USA Photographers
- Versatile Photography
- Wild Birds Of The World
- Wildlife
- 3 A Day Greeting Cards
- 10 Plus Favorites
- 500 Views

Awards:
2nd Place - White a Symbol of Purity Contest
3rd Place - CCB Quarterly Open Competition
Cover photo - 'Up Close and Personal' Exhibition Catalog

The elegant Great Egret (Ardea alba) is a dazzling sigh. They are a large elegant white bird with impressive wingspans. They hunt in classic heron fashion, standing immobile or wading through wetlands to capture fish with a deadly jab of their yellow bill. Great Egrets were hunted nearly to extinction for their plumes in the late nineteenth century, sparking conservation movements and some of the first laws to protect birds.

The male builds a nest platform from long sticks and twigs before pairing up with a female, and then both members of the pair may collaborate to complete the nest, though the male sometimes finishes it himself. The nest is up to 3 feet across and 1 foot deep. It is lined with pliable plant material that dries to form a cup structure. They don't typically reuse nests from year to year. The nest itself is up to 100 feet off the ground, often over water, usually in or near the top of a shrub or tree.

Not all young that hatch survive the nestling period. Aggression among nestlings is common and large chicks frequently kill their smaller siblings. This behavior, known as siblicide, is not uncommon among birds such as hawks, owls, and herons, and is often a result of poor breeding conditions in a given year.

I love shooting these beautiful birds in a variety of popular birding locations in central Florida, but the best place to photograph nesting Egrets is Gatorland Orlando. The biggest challenge is capturing the detail in their dazzling white feathers under the Florida sun and avoiding the invasive Brazilian Pepper plants.