With a gracefully balanced stick a Great Egret flies to the nest he is building with his mate.
Wings out, feet ready for touch down, he glides into the tree.
Unfortunately for me, the nest is on the far side of the tree, but with no leaves out yet there is a view of the welcome home squawk.
Somehow these big birds manage to maneuver to a landing and not get tangled up with their building materials.
2/28/2019
This Great Blue Heron’s mate arrived to take a turn at the nest and this one wasted no time on the usual greeting. He headed for shore, landing just beyond me on the path.
I backed up to give him some room and so I could see what he was going to do.
After his turn on the nest a big shake was in order.
He went down over the bank, had a look around, then flew off.
A Great Egret is headed into the tree line to gather nest material.
The Great Blue Herons nest before the Great Egrets in this rookery and want the Great Egrets to stay back from their chosen spots.
This is with good reason: the Great Egrets’ elegance cannot hide their aggressive behaviors when they try to push other birds out.
The Great Egrets’ flying skills are unmatched and they often use their feet to make a point.
This scuffle turned out to be more about the two Great Egrets vying for space than trying to take over the Great Blue Heron’s spot. That might come next.
A few Great Egrets were swooping over the pond as they vied for mates or nesting spots in the nearby trees.
Great Egret Flying Over Alligators, TurtlesSome were gathering sticks for their nests but they were easily distracted when another Great Egret invaded their space.
Great Egret Flying Over TurtleOccasionally I’ve seen a large Alligator snap at a bird flying overhead without making contact, but these smallish Alligators and turtles ignored the aerial displays going on above them.
Great Egret Flying Over Alligator and TurtlesWings fully extended, a Great Egret rounded the small island headed for a mid-tree branch.
In one smooth motion the Egret reached out for a branch…
…and landed gracefully. Only rarely have I seen them miss or falter on a landing like this.
This Great Blue Heron opted to choose some nest building materials from the tree line where I was standing.
After a tricky landing he walked along a good sized branch while poking for loose material.
After discarding a few options he pulled an acceptable branch free and flew back to the nest.
Slowly and deliberately, a lone Great Egret stalked the pond as the fog lifted enough to make out the far shore.
Then a burst of speed and head plunge that churned up the water.
The water churning often helps the wading birds locate prey. He tried again with a big head splash. He didn’t get any meal on either of these efforts.
3/3/2019.
At the far end of the pond where I photographed Spoonbills in the fog a Bald Eagle was watching me.
March 3, 2019, Bear Island Wildlife Management Area.
After seeing the Tundra Swans in the fog we drove around a perimeter road at Bear Island Wildlife Management Area Sunday morning. We came upon this line of Roseate Spoonbills and pair of Avocents standing in a shallow pond.
The Avocets flew off and the Spoonbills milled around.
The fog didn’t dissipate much, even by 9:30 am, but the light was shifting and oddly the air didn’t feel wet. The Spoonbills didn’t seem to mind and performed their usual behaviors.
We have been seeing groups of up to 25 Roseate Spoonbills in a few locations in this general area. Interestingly they are all juveniles with fully feathered heads. As they mature over three years their pink color darkens and they loose most of their head feathers.
