Battered Radar Makes History and Leaves a Legacy

 ODE TO "RADAR"

On July 2, 2014 Radar was a beautiful and healthy Great Egret

A few years later, Radars age and perhaps his lifes work took its toll

Admittedly, this isn’t the norm for my nature photographs as there’s no intriguing background artistically colored by the setting sun; no special textures in the shot, or unique behaviors displayed. In this case however, it's an important photograph that documents what this Great Egret ultimately sacrificed for our fragile ecosystems.  Egrets are popular here, but this one is probably like none you’ve ever seen or will ever see. 

This Great Egret became an icon to everyone who saw it. If you’ll look closely, you’ll notice thin wires coming out of his back and in this shot, a transmitter implanted under his feathers is visible. 

Radar did his part. He's the perfect example to explain to children how humans are working with wildlife to help preserve our fragile environment. This was also the last time we saw this Great Egret who was adoringly coined Radar by the many locals who became familiar with his presence over the years. He's looking a little worse for wear at this point, so I'm glad I was able to get one last shot to document and preserve his legacy and our memories of both the intrigue, science, and the joy surrounding him.

This beautiful Egret soon ingratiated himself with locals and was ultimately dubbed, “Radar." He was a a source of inspiration and joy in Huntington State Park for quite a few years.  Those of us who had the good fortune to discover him respected his contribution to science.  He was very popular and even had his own face book page, but the last post was in 2015.  The thing that set him apart though, was that he was transmitting information back to those monitoring him and presumably his travels.  Radar was or had become a native and daily joy though, venturing only far enough away from this particular marsh in the park to find a tree to spend his overnights.

Speculation was that he was tagged after the Gulf oil spill to study how many birds survived their cleaning, where they went afterward, and how they fared as that's about the time he showed up here in the SC marsh. Obviously, this bird was one of the more fortunate ones and it was reassuring that he was living a rather normal life on a quiet marsh in South Carolina.   

He's a testament as well to people helping us all learn how we can live productively and symbiotically with nature. We may never know where or to whom he was transmitting, but he did his part in helping humans gain information to help us preserve our planet and gave a lot of joy to those of us who could count on his presence, rain or shine.

THE SATISFACTION OF NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY 

This isn’t up to the standard I try to achieve photo-wise, to bring nature inside on our walls obviously. It was a rather drab day and at first glance, there’s nothing special or eye catching to inspire you and make you want to hang this on your wall.  Normally, I would probably choose another spot or another day to take photos, and on this day I was just out for a walk enjoying nature.  This was one of those times though, when Radar was the surprise that became the story, and reminded me how important it is to be observant and mindful of everything around you, especially if you’re pursuing a career in the field.