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Venice, Florida. Just before sunset, this great egret had settled at a bird rookery, and the fading light was doing something to its plumage that made me stop moving.
The breeding plumes of great egrets are among nature's most elegant structures — long feathers that cascade from the bird's back like lace. They're displayed in courtship, raised and fanned to impress potential mates. In the golden light of late afternoon, they take on a luminous quality.
Those plumes nearly caused the species' extinction. In the late 1800s, they were worth more than gold by weight in the millinery trade, and plume hunters slaughtered egrets by the thousands. The conservation movement that saved them began with public outrage over this fashion-driven destruction. Today, watching an egret display its plumes, that history adds a layer of meaning — we nearly lost this, and the seeing of it now is a gift from those who fought to stop the killing.
Limited edition Chromaluxe metal print. Ultra gloss finish emphasizes the luminous quality of the plumes in golden light.
Venice, Florida. Just before sunset, this great egret had settled at a bird rookery, and the fading light was doing something to its plumage that made me stop moving.
The breeding plumes of great egrets are among nature's most elegant structures — long feathers that cascade from the bird's back like lace. They're displayed in courtship, raised and fanned to impress potential mates. In the golden light of late afternoon, they take on a luminous quality.
Those plumes nearly caused the species' extinction. In the late 1800s, they were worth more than gold by weight in the millinery trade, and plume hunters slaughtered egrets by the thousands. The conservation movement that saved them began with public outrage over this fashion-driven destruction. Today, watching an egret display its plumes, that history adds a layer of meaning — we nearly lost this, and the seeing of it now is a gift from those who fought to stop the killing.
Limited edition Chromaluxe metal print. Ultra gloss finish emphasizes the luminous quality of the plumes in golden light.
