L’airone cenerino
The Grey Herons at Lago di Alviano are studious. Nothing disturbs their concentration:
They are tense, waiting for that exact moment when they can…
This one doesn’t even notice when a Sacred Ibis nearly lands on top of it:
There’s something beautifully ungainly and bizarrely balletic about their landing:
And their wingspan is impressive when they stall their flight and splashdown:
Their crest is comical and their breast feathers long and decorative:
And their exotic back feathers?
Beautiful.