Kosagi│ NEX-7 & Canon FD 50mm F1.4 │ 50mm, ISO 400, f/2, 1/30, 0EV Kosagi, or the Little Egret, is a bird related to the heron, with snow-white plumage, a long, pointed black bill and black legs with bright yellow feet. Its body is 50-60 cm long. This specimen was spotted in a tiny rock pool within the Rikugien Gardens in Tokyo. He was hunting for crabs... and managed to find a few! The late-afternoon sun was cascading through the trees and falling onto the mossy rocks beneath with such a vibrant green, that this pure-white bird really stood out like nothing I've seen before.
The Egret had very long feathers on his chest, which drooped down into the clear water of the pool below. I hadn't been stood there 5 seconds snapping away, when what seemed to be a flock of paparazzi turned up to take their shots. The bird, completely unfazed by the clatter of shutter clicks, plucked out yet another crab. From where I was standing, there were no crabs in that rock pool, but the Egret proved me otherwise on more than one occasion After a few minutes, I decided I'd leave him be, and hope that the paparazzi would soon move on. A very majestic bird in a very majestic garden.
