A pair of Great Egrets was having an affectionate greeting as one returned to the nest.
Then a third tried to land and was quickly run off.
I’m not sure if he was trying to take over or just landed in the wrong spot. Great Egrets can be very aggressive so either is possible.
With nests all around how do birds manage to fly back to the one that is theirs? A big mystery.
Number three circled around and landed in the same tree in a higher branch out of my view. These two went back to being happy.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
March 26, 2026
Taken with my recently repaired OM 100-400 lens — all seems good.
Love this series! You really captured the birds’ interaction among their beautiful plumes. Wonderful!
Thank you! They’ve moved into a new nesting area this year, which is further than I might like but the view is mostly free of branches.
Great set of shots!
Thank you!
Beautiful photos, Ellen.
Thank you, Rebecca!