When watching birds, I usually have my camera’s zoom lens fully extended. On rare occasions I am actually zoomed in a little too closely, as was the case when I took the shot of a Great Egret (Ardea alba) this past Monday at Huntley Meadows Park.
Despite the clipped wings, I love the details and the beautiful arc of the feathers of its wings as this stunning bird takes to the air.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Great shot.
Do you have any idea why the “ruffled” neck feathers?
I am not sure if that was the result of the wind or the particular way that the egret was flying, but those ruffled feathers sure are distinctive.
It did look strange.
I agree with you – and the feather detail is beautuful.
Thanks. As someone else pointed, a certain amount of backlighting made the feathers stand out.
They’re beautiful birds!
Their brilliant white color lends them a kind of elegance what I find lacking in similar birds like the Great Blue Heron.