We were visited by a flock of Glossy Ibis this morning in the marsh behind our house. They were pretty severely backlit which is less than ideal for a photograph of a dark bird. But, when it comes to wildlife photography I know I have to take advantage of the moment because assuredly they will not hang out there until the sun comes around and lights them up from the front. I did wait this morning for action, which took a while. The ibis were busy grazing in the marsh seeking any type of salt marsh invertebrates to start their day. I was easily a hundred yards from them using my telephoto, teleconverter and tripod. as I watched them through my lens they spent a long time walking and grazing but then, quite suddenly and without detectable warning, the group spontaneously jumped into the air only to light right back down. It is hard to know what caused that behavior. I did not get it in camera the first time but I waited a while to see if they would do it again. There is virtue in patience it is said and sure enough my patience paid off. This photo is more about interesting action captured as well as I could considering harsh lighting and distance for subject but the three images tell a bit of a story.
