Trust

“Trust” 

Blue-winged Teal Duck 

Judy Royal Glenn Photography

When I am photographing an animal in the wild, there is a trust factor between the subject and myself. I am sure of my intent—to photograph them, but they don’t know why I am there.

Recently, there were a lot of birds in a distant pond at the Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge, and I wanted to photograph them. I noticed it was a bird I very rarely get to photograph—the blue-winged teal duck. The first and only time I photographed them was in 2014. 

My goal was to get super close as they swam through a beautiful, thick, green layer of duckweed, which was on top of the pond. Birds are lucky; they have the luxury of flying away from danger, so I usually try to get a quick shot. Then my normal routine is to take a shot, move closer, and repeat. 

Their trust or lack thereof comes into play as they see me move closer. About 15 birds were in the pond, and as I moved closer, they swam away. But, as they saw me being still and I wasn’t a threat, they came back.

It was quite a balancing act, a sort of dance if you may. None-the-less, I got the shots I wanted and thanked them for allowing me to photograph them.

The Masked Bandit

"The Masked Bandit" 

Judy Royal Glenn Photography  

Another first for me is seeing the white egret during breeding season. Usually the area on each side of the bird's head between the upper base of the beak and the eye is yellow. This area is referred to as the lore. During mating season, the lore is a beautiful shade of green.

For spring break this year, I went to the Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge. There were several photographers there photographing the various birds building their nests in the brush over Woody pond. This egret went into the woods to break off a branch to build its nest. 

Location: Townsend, Georgia

Balanced

"Balanced" 

Judy Royal Glenn Photography

I love photographing at Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge in Townsend, Georgia. The refuge is a former WWII Army airfield.

There is an abundance of wildlife on the 2,762 acres which consists of saltwater marsh, cropland, grassland, and mixed deciduous woods.

This Anhinga was perched on the tree "sunbathing" when I first walked up. The Red-winged blackbird decorates the top of the tree.

Upon A Closer Look

"Upon A Closer Look" 

Judy Royal Glenn Photography  

While I was at the Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge, I saw a billion baby alligators.  They were scattered along the bank of the pond.  Within a small radius, I counted about 15.  I wasn't really concerned with them, but I was scared of the huge alligator that was hanging around.  I made sure to know where he was and keep a safe distance! 

I got closer and closer to the baby alligators, and they did not move an inch.  They were enjoying basking in the sun.

Not until I got home and edited the photographs, did I notice their razor sharp teeth!  That bite would have hurt a lot.  I was a little too naive.

  

Location: Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge Townsend, Georgia 

See Through Snowy Egret

"See Through Snowy Egret"

Judy Royal Glenn Photography 

 

One of the hardest things for me to do is track a bird and get tack sharp photos.  This is not a tack sharp photo, but I like it a lot because I can see the bone structure of the egret's wings. 

 

There is sort of a "runway" at Harris Neck that the birds seem to follow while flying.  It's not actually a runway, but it is definitely a path they like to fly over.  I stand on that "runway" and let them fly towards me.  There are real runways at Harris Neck as it was once a WWII Army airfield.  Neat how that works.

 

  Location:  Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge