Special message (especially for friends in the US) : Pl. take a moment to check out this gesture that Mary has undertaken to brighten an 8-year old girl’s birthday.We were always amazed by the transformation birds undergoes during the breeding season. This post is all about one such extraordinary transformation. Ranganathittu bird sanctuary, close to Mysore, is a wonderful place to observe birds in breeding plumage.
Cattle Egret is well adapted to many diverse terrestrial and aquatic habitats. As the name suggests, this widespread resident in India, is commonly found around cattle feasting on the insects disturbed by the grazing mammals. Grasshoppers are its preferred food but it does not mind frogs, toads, lizards and other small mammals. Sometimes you can find them sitting on cattle eating parasitic insects as well.
This image shows a Cattle Egret in its peak breeding plumage. The orange-buff plums on the crown, breast, back, the reddish bill, the vivid red eyes and the pinkish colored legs marks the phase just before pairing. This image was taken with the D300, 300mm f2.8+2x TC setup. EXIF – 600mm, f/8, 1/320s, 0EV, ISO 200.




