Shorebirds— Part One: Great Egrets And Snowy Egrets

Seaside Or Bayside, Shorebirds Make Great Subjects

Our Shorebirds series begins with profiles of two white wonders!

Snowy Egret Walking On Dock July 2, 2025

An adult Snowy Egret walks along a dock beside the bay on a sunny afternoon in Avalon, New Jersey July 2, 2025.

A Snowy Summer Afternoon

Periodically, the Picturephant Photo Blog will share photos of birds by the sea. This post features Great Egrets and the smaller Snowy Egrets. I tell my students photography can sometimes play out like a good crime drama— you need Motive and Opportunity. The Motive comes from being ready with camera settings to catch the action. That usually means a fast shutter speed of at least 1/1,000th second. The Opportunity comes from being observant in the right place— which usually results in being at the right time to catch something special.I was on the deck looking out over the bay in Avalon when this adult Snowy Egret landed on the dock below me. While it meticulously walked along the dock, I fired away with my camera at 1/1,250th second. I especially love the shadow of the Snowy Egret’s foot. When wildlife comes near, be ready to seize the moment.To tell the difference, the Great Egret is far larger (41 Inches tall and 66 Inch wingspan), with a yellow bill and black feet. The more compact Snowy Egret (26 Inches tall and 40 Inch wingspan) has a black bill and yellow feet.

Bayside Bird

With all the seafood takeout available, birds flock to the bay. I was standing on a dock to photograph this huge adult Great Egret fishing in front of Cedar Island when it suddenly took off! I had no idea the Great Egret would take off. My fast shutter speed of 1/1,000th second caught the spray as the Great Egret launched. If you’re one of my regular Blog readers, you’ve read here many times: be ready with a fast shutter speed, and you will be rewarded with great action shots.

A large adult Great Egret takes off in front of Cedar Island in Avalon, New Jersey, showing its 5.5 foot wingspan July 4, 2025.

Snowy Egret Wading In The Bay Beside Cedar Island In Avalon, New

An adult Snowy Egret wades in the bay at Cedar Island, with white plumage reflecting, photographed from aboard the Avalon Lady fishing boat in Avalon, New Jersey June 24, 2025.

Snowy Egret Within A Sweet Landscape

While aboard the Avalon Lady fishing boat during a Back Bay Fishing Cruise, we went by this inlet at Cedar Island. I couldn’t believe my luck to see this adult Snowy Egret wading in the bay while hunting. The reflection and ripples made for a photo that seems more like a painting. That’s because I used a narrow aperture of f16 to get both detail and contrast. Given that I was on a moving boat, I kept my shutter speed at 1/1,250th second.

Magic Feathers At Sunset

This is one of my favorite shorebird shots. While photographing sunset at high tide June 30, 2019, I noticed an adult Great Egret far to my left. I kept shooting the Sun, but also kept an eye on the Great Egret. Thankfully, the huge bird took off and flew over flooded Cedar Island. I panned to follow the flightpath. So I was ready for the money shot— a super silhouette of the Great Egret flaring to land!

If you look closely, the all-white bird’s silhouette is a dark blue, because the blue sky above is reflecting off the bay. So while the water appears golden, the Great Egret’s silhouette is dark blue.

Read the Sunsets Blog Part Two post to learn how silhouettes can be gold mines for subjects to capture before, during, and after sunset.

Stay tuned for more Shorebird photos and posts.

An adult Great Egret flares to land in the marsh of Cedar Island at high tide during sunset in Avalon, New Jersey June 30, 2019.

General Settings

As always, Mother Nature dictates your settings. But if it’s sunny, try ISO 400, Aperture f13, Shutter Speed 1/1,000th Second or faster.

Photo Tips

If you don’t have sunny skies, make them yourself by increasing your ISO to 640, or even 800.

Rarely is a bird alone, especially at the seashore. These 4 examples show how to make the most of one-on-one encounters. A fast shutter speed is what you need most.

Mostly, birds flock together. If you focus on a specific bird, make sure you look around to see what other birds are doing. You don’t want to miss out on any other action.

Because Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets are all white, your camera might wash out any feather detail. So make sure you use a narrow aperture for detail, like f13. If that narrow aperture makes your shot too dark, push up your ISO to maybe 640 or 800.

Photographing shorebirds often leads to opportunities to take reflection shots, as these examples show. Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets give you many opportunities for reflection shots, because they feed in shallow water. Their white feathers produce super reflections on the water, too.

Review & Refine! Keep checking your shots to see if your settings are good enough. The more you’re willing to improve your settings, the better a photographer you will be!

Composite Of 6 Photos Showing Sunrise, Sunset, Ocean Wave, Great

A composite of 6 photos savoring the seashore, featuring a sunrise, Great Egret, ocean wave, Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins, Osprey with an Atlantic Menhaden fish, and a sunset over the bay, photographed in Avalon, New Jersey from 2021-2025.

Soak Up The Beach With The Seashore 5 By 30 Inches Storyteller Photo.

This composite of 6 photos features sunrise, sunset, a wave, Dolphins, Osprey, and a Great Egret.

Common Tern Standing On Jetty July 9, 2024

An adult Common Tern stands on a jetty, with the Atlantic Ocean behind in Avalon, New Jersey July 9, 2024.

Want To See More Birds? Check Out The Birds Gallery.

Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins Swimming In The Atlantic Ocean July

A pod of Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins swim in the Atlantic Ocean, photographed during a Dolphin Sunset Nature Cruise aboard the Miss Avalon fishing yacht in Avalon, New Jersey July 19, 2022.

Want To Soak Up More Of The Seashore? Check Out The Sea Gallery.

Osprey Taking Off From Atlantic Ocean Carrying A Flounder In Ava

An adult Osprey takes off from the Atlantic Ocean carrying a Flounder in Avalon, New Jersey July 5, 2023.