Tag Archives: Photography

The Lord of Leisure¹ Photo Gallery

As ongoing viewers know, the content of the  Lord Of Leisure Photo Gallery comprises predominately landscapes, birds, and the occasional bluegrass musician. Two months ago, however, I received these shots which feature an altogether different subject matter.  Lord of Leisure writes:

This year marks the sesquicentennial celebration of the Civil War.   A number of battles were fought in the border state of Missouri. One, in fact, took place just a few miles down Highway 50 from our home [near Kansas City, Missouri] in the town of Lone Jack.²  Lone Jack went all out with a weekend of activities including a reenactment of the battle.   Some of these photos looked good in color, but I thought going in black and white with a sepia tone might better  fit the event. Some of the pictures were taken before the battle began and the rest during the fighting.   Great care was taken to ensure authenticity in all the clothing and weapons used.  About 200 reenactors participated in the 30 minute battle.

Note: These photos in larger sizes are also posted at the DrHGuy site.

1. Lord of Leisure was previously known in these posts as Mr. Science. Both Lord of Leisure and Mr Science spend most of their time disguised as Neil Ellis, mild-mannered, retired teacher at a great suburban school system, who can identify a bird by its call, complete the New York Times Friday Crossword in ink, and snap a heck of a photo. All Lord of Leisure photos can be found at Photos – Lord of Leisure. [↩]
2. Battle of Lone Jack: On August 16, 1862 Federal troops were defeated by a much larger Confederate force. The fighting literally occurred on the main street and raged for five hours before the Federals withdrew. The Confederates were unable to hold the town following their victory because of converging Union forces from other commands.. Source: Wikipedia [↩]

The Lord of Leisure¹ Photo Gallery

Lord Of Leisure writes:

This series of photos, taken October 5, 2011 at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia, shows a Snowy Egret demonstrating its fascinating feeding behavior.  It hops, chases, and runs in what resembles nothing so much as a moderately bizarre dance to corral a meal of fish and crustaceans.   This excerpt from Cornell University’s North American Birds on Line describes the choreography:

Behaviors include standing, bill-vibrating (tongue-flicking), head-swaying, pecking, walking slowly, walking quickly, running, hopping, leapfrog feeding, wing-flicking, openwing-feeding, underwing-feeding, foot-stirring, foot-raking, foot probing, foot paddling, hovering, hover-stirring, dipping, disturb and chase, and foot-dragging. Effectiveness may be enhanced owing to greater visual acuity than most other wading birds.²

There is more information about these behaviors at the link.

Click on photo and thumbnails for best viewing.

DrHGuy Note: There is a nifty video that displays this feeding behavior at ARKive (produced by the BBC Natural History Unit).  While watching the egrets actually perform the motions described may be more instructional than viewing the still images, the videos miss – at least  by my eyes – the splendor captured in these photos.

Previous Egret Photos By Lord Of Leisure

• Snowy Egret On Hilton Head Island: A pristine photo of a snowy egret with an unobstructed view of the golden slippers for which this species is known (snowy egrets are frequently called “the birds with the golden slippers”)
• Great Egret Rookery
• Two Snowy Egrets Wading

1. Lord of Leisure was previously known in these posts as Mr. Science. Both Lord of Leisure and Mr Science spend most of their time disguised as Neil Ellis, mild-mannered, retired teacher at a great suburban school system, who can identify a bird by its call, complete the New York Times Friday Crossword in ink, and snap a heck of a photo. All Lord of Leisure photos can be found at Photos – Lord of Leisure. [↩]
2. Caldwell, G. S. 1981. Attraction to tropical mixed-species heron flocks: proximate mechanism and consequences. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 8:99-103. [↩]

The Lord of Leisure¹ Photo Gallery

This pristine photo of a snowy egret with an unobstructed view of the golden slippers for which this species is known (snowy egrets are frequently called “the birds with the golden slippers”) is one of several images of indigenous birds taken  in early June 2011 on Hilton Head Island by Lord Of Leisure. Click on image for best viewing.

Previously posted shots from the 2011 Hilton Head excursion feature a great egret rookery, a  white ibis and two snowy egrets wading as well as a menacing American Alligator.

Earlier photos with an ornithological theme follow:

• Red-tailed Hawk Lands In Lord of Leisure Gallery
• Barred Owl Joins Photo Menagerie
• Cooper’s Hawk Completes Raptor Trio
• Young Cooper’s Hawk From Lord Of Leisure

1. Lord of Leisure was previously known in these posts as Mr. Science. Both Lord of Leisure and Mr Science spend most of their time disguised as Neil Ellis, mild-mannered, retired teacher at a great suburban school system, who can identify a bird by its call, complete the New York Times Friday Crossword in ink, and snap a heck of a photo. All Lord of Leisure photos can be found at Photos – Lord of Leisure. [↩]

The Lord of Leisure¹ Photo Gallery

This striking white ibis was photographed in early June 2011 on Hilton Head Island. Click on image for best viewing.

1. Lord of Leisure was previously known in these posts as Mr. Science. Both Lord of Leisure and Mr Science spend most of their time disguised as Neil Ellis, mild-mannered, retired teacher at a great suburban school system, who can identify a bird by its call, complete the New York Times Friday Crossword in ink, and snap a heck of a photo. All Lord of Leisure photos can be found at Photos – Lord of Leisure. [↩]