Daniel Riddle

The Tricolor Heron has a subtle courtship display but it’s breeding colors definitely make up for it! #TwitterNatureCommunity #BirdsOfTwitter

@OJGrowers No, this is Port Royal - South Carolina

@birdcrazed6 Incredible! Great video. Was this in Florida?

Watch as the YELLOW CROWNED NIGHT HERON performs a nuptial display ~ Attempting to impress a nearby female and win her over. #TwitterNatureCommunity #BirdPhotography #Birds

The breeding plumes of wading birds - referred to as called aigrettes - became tragically valuable during the late 19th and early 20th centuries because of the fashion industry. What were they used for? These delicate, ornate feathers were used primarily to decorate women’s hats during the height of the plume trade. In cities like New York City, London, and Paris, fashionable hats were often adorned with entire sprays of these feathers - and sometimes even whole birds. Why breeding plumes? Species like the Snowy Egret, Great Egret, and Tricolored Heron grow their most beautiful plumes during breeding season. These feathers: • Are long, wispy, and lace - like • Glow with a soft, almost ethereal quality •Signal health and vitality to potential mates Ironically, this made them highly desirable - and highly destructive to collect. The devastating impact: Hunters targeted birds during nesting season, when their plumes were at their peak. This had catastrophic consequences: •Adult birds were killed while tending nests •Chicks were left to starve •Entire colonies were wiped out At the height of the trade, plumes were worth more than gold by weight. The turning point: Public outrage - led in part by early conservationists and organizations like the Audubon Society - helped bring an end to the plume trade. This movement led to major protections, including the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which made it illegal to hunt or sell most native birds and their feathers. #BirdPhotography #Birds

The Great Egret at the PEAK of its breeding colors performs a courtship display that consists of showing off its nuptial plumage and a short dance. #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #CourtshipDisplay

The Cattle Egret sheds its plain white hush, and kindles in the quiet heat of spring - A crown of molten amber spills across its head, like dawn caught gently in soft feathers, while its breast and back blush with strokes of sunlit fire - saffron, honey, a whisper of burning gold. Its eyes gleam brighter, as if lit from within by the season’s pulse, and its bill, once pale, deepens to a flame-touched hue - a signal, a promise, a song without sound. It stands among green pastures like a flicker of sunset fallen to earth, each plume a brushstroke of warmth against the waking world.

@jamesgregoryph Very clean image!

Throwback to the summer ospreys…. Here’s an Osprey caught in mid-flight, making a getaway with breakfast. 📍Aviemore, Scottish Highlands 📷 Shot on Sony A1ii - 560mm #SonyAlpha #BirdsSeenIn2025 #thebritishwildlife #TwitterNatureCommunity #wildlifephotography #naturephotography @Natures_Voice

My latest project, Feathers and Verses - an ebook containing 15 poems with accompanying image that inspired them. This ebook is available for download through my Patreon and the next five people who subscribe will get a discounted price on subscription price (typically $9.99 - now $4.99) and a free copy of Feathers and Verses. Link to my Patreon page and subscription will be in the comments.