Bird of a feather

Journal Staff Visitors to Canatara Park often stop to admire this great egret, seen here coming in for a landing on Lake Chipican.

Journal Staff

Visitors to Canatara Park often stop to admire this great egret, seen here coming in for a landing on Lake Chipican.

But even veteran nature photographer Ronny D’Haene was surprised when this image popped up full-size on his home computer screen. “I’ve taken thousands of shots and maybe a dozen times I’ve verbally said, Wow,” admitted D’Haene, whose shots of local wildlife often grace the pages of The Journal.

The great egret is the symbol of the National Audubon Society, which was formed in part to halt the killing of the elegant birds, whose feathers were once used to decorate hats.

Ronny D’Haene, Special to The Journal