Wilmington resident Tyler Paul snapped the winning photo for May's portion of the Preserve the Moment photo contest with a rare shot of a state-endangered snowy egret.

Photo contest judges were impressed with the subject matter of the winning photo and the setting.

“Capturing a photo of a snowy egret is rare in and of itself because they are endangered in Illinois, but it was also a nicely composed photo that highlighted the bird's beauty in a natural setting,” one judge noted. “It checked all the boxes for me.”

Another judge appreciated the composition of the photo.

“Seeing a species that I don't see frequently in clear view with the tree line in the background really stuck out to me,” another judge said. “The bird perched calmly and stoically on the branch, creating a striking image.”

Picture perfect perch

Paul said he was kayaking at McKinley Woods – Kerry Sheridan Grove when he saw a small egret in the distance.

“I had seen a snowy egret in the same area the previous year, so I kayaked closer to confirm what it was,” he said in an email after he was notified of his win. “The egret was standing in shallow water and scurrying around looking for food before it flew right toward me and perched on a branch.”

Paul said he knew the egret was a rare find.

“I was especially excited when it chose to perch on such a scenic branch,” he said. “In wildlife photography, I sometimes have the bad luck of seeing interesting animals pose next to non-natural objects or even garbage, so it was nice to capture the bird in a more natural setting.”

Paul, who works as a software engineer, said he tries to photograph wildlife from a low angle with good lighting and a clean background.

“It's challenging for all of those elements to come together, so I was happy with how the picture turned out.”

Wildlife photography enhances Paul’s love of nature, he said.

“I enjoy being outdoors, seeing interesting wildlife, and applying the technical aspects of photography,” he said. “I'm also a big Pokémon fan, and wildlife photography appeals to the same part of me that enjoys exploring and finding creatures I haven't seen before.”

Snowy egrets, which have yellow legs and feet, can occasionally be spotted migrating through the state, to where they spend summers in southwestern Illinois along the Mississippi River. During winter, they can be found from the southern coastal United States to South America.

“The endangered status is due to the massive number of snowy egrets that were killed in the late 1800s for their feathers (plume hunting),” according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources website. “The snowy egret was never very common in Illinois before this period of plume hunting and has not recovered well since.”

The more commonly seen great egret, which has black legs and feet, also was once state-endangered, but it has made a stronger recovery in Illinois.

Honorable mentions from May were: 

• Laurie Lasseter of Woodridge for a photo from Lockport Prairie Nature Preserve of a great blue heron attempting to eat a fish, which appears to be in shock at the prospect.
  
• Joe Viola of Shorewood for a goose at Rock Run Preserve with its goslings nestled behind.
  
• Amy Miller of Joliet for a misty deer silhouette at Rock Run Preserve. 
  

Contest continues 

The Preserve the Moment photo contest began in February and runs through Dec. 31.

Monthly winners will advance to the final round, where they will compete for likes on Facebook in January 2027 to determine the first-, second- and third-place winners overall.

Each monthly photo contest winner will receive a $75 gift card. Overall winners will receive MasterCard gift cards worth $500 for first place, $250 for second place and $150 for third place. At the end of the contest, three participants also will be randomly selected to receive $75 MasterCard gift cards.

The contest is made possible through the support of The Nature Foundation of Will County.

Participants are encouraged to read the rules before entering. Up to five photos can be submitted per month via the District’s contest upload page. All photos must be taken in a Will County forest preserve.