Little Egret Fishing at Warnham Local Nature Reserve – A Close-Up Feeding Moment

Welcome to my wildlife photography journal! A visit to Warnham Local Nature Reserve on 26th July 2026 provided a fantastic opportunity to get close to one of those brief wildlife moments that can easily be missed. This time, the subject was a Little Egret busy fishing in the shallows.

The Little Egret had just caught a small fish and was flipping it into position before swallowing it. I managed to capture the moment with the fish suspended in mid-air, surrounded by flying water droplets. It was a great example of just how quickly these feeding opportunities happen, with only a fraction of a second separating the catch from the fish disappearing down the egret’s throat.

Being able to get close enough to photograph the detail made the sequence particularly enjoyable. The combination of the Little Egret, the fish and the water droplets created a much more dynamic image than a simple portrait, capturing both the behaviour and the action of the bird as it fed.

Wildlife photography is often about being ready for these fleeting moments. You can watch a bird for some time without knowing when something is going to happen, then suddenly the action takes place and you have only an instant to react. Capturing that moment is what makes sequences like this so rewarding.

Another enjoyable session at Warnham Local Nature Reserve, and another reminder that there is always something interesting happening when you take the time to watch closely.