Bombay Hook Wildlife Refuge

Yesterday I visited an amazing place in Delaware called Bombay Hook. It's a wildlife refuge with an abundance of untouched space where tons of animals can live away from the dangers that humans all too often introduce to natural environments.

My main objective at Bombay Hook was to take some photos of their beautiful birds, many of which are egrets and herons. Because I love painting these types of birds so much, I thought it would be really great to get some reference photos of my own. It's so important to actually observe an animal's movements when you're planning to draw it.

 One of the more common birds at the refuge around this time of year are the egrets. This is a Great Egret, which is typically about 3 feet tall. It was fantastic to see all of the ways that their necks bend, and how long their necks really are when they're fully outstretched! 

I sometimes wonder if I exaggerate the length and slenderness of egrets' necks when I draw them, but their necks really are extremely long and slender! Look how thin their heads are - you can barely even see his when he's looking straight at you!

Taking off - these are the types of photos that can be so informative. Knowing the ways the body bends when it moves in specific ways is so important when drawing.

When this photo was taken, I was particularly excited. In this picture there is a congregation of birds which I had never seen in the wild - can you see them? They blend in pretty well.

The birds in the previous picture are Glossy Ibises. I hadn't ever seen them outside of photos, and they've been one of my favorite birds for a long time now. I was so excited to learn that they like to feed and spend time in large groups, and also to see that they're much smaller than I realized. They're only about 2 feet tall!

I saw quite a few Great Blue Herons. This one was particularly close, and was extremely well camouflaged before he stepped out from behinds the reeds. These birds are typically around 4 feet tall and have wingspans of about 6 feet!

This is another bird I'd never seen in the wild. It's an American Bittern, a small, stout species of heron. It is about 2 feet tall. 

And finally, the best picture I was able to take yesterday - another Great Egret.

I also saw a few Snowy Egrets, which are absolutely beautiful and adorable, a lot of Cormorants, and a Snow Goose. It was such a wonderful day!