And the Great Blue Heron wanted the tree to himself.
The Great Egret and the Roseate Spoonbill ignored him, even when he made a flying leap over their heads.
The GBH made some aggressive moves towards the other two and they just rearranged themselves and went about their preening business.
With Storm Florence now well to the north I was able to return to one of my favorite birding spots this afternoon. The sun was in and out with puffy white clouds filling the sky.
This Great Egret had found a shallow spot to hunt, although this wasn’t looking like a great fishing hole as he kept coming up with nothing.
He did create some nice reflections for me, albeit in dirty looking water that was still churned up from Flo’s rain and wind.
My heart goes out to those in North Carolina who will be weeks, months, and probably more putting their lives back together after storm Florence’s record rain fall.
The large egrets and herons make dramatic water landings that include looking a bit as if they are conducting a musical group.
The Great Blue Herons especially seem to easily maintain their balance and smoothly tuck their wings into position.
The Tri-colored Heron completes his landing with a little less elegance, his wing tip feathers working just a little harder for some reason.
Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, just after sunrise, July 15, 2018.
I remain fascinated by how elegantly the large wading birds fly. This Great Egret was surveying the marsh from the top of a tree.
He picked his direction and with one step and a flap of his wings he was off.
Unlike some of the other large birds, the Great Egrets’ wings are nearly silently when they take off so unless you are watching you don’t even know they are gone.
7/3/2018 Donnelley Wildlife Management Area
All this empty shoreline and you had to land here?
The Great Blue Heron was tucked out of my sight until the Great Egret touched down.
The wading birds follow each other, usually hoping to capitalize on a good fishing opportunity. Why else would the Great Blue Heron have chosen this spot?
Wading birds and alligators gathered along this marsh inlet as the tide was going out.
The Snowy Egrets changed position frequently, they seem happiest when flapping around. The other egrets and herons tended to stick to their claimed spot, even as the alligators passed by.
Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and White Ibis shared the banks.
Since the juveniles have fledged most of the Great Egret activity at my favorite swamp has been on the far side of the big pond. The water is a little shallower for hunting and I expect harbors a lot of fish. The Alligators, of course, go all over. I didn’t see this one in the Egret’s reflection until I was processing my images.
The distance is too far for really sharp images, but some days that’s all you see. The Great Egret wisely kept moving and then flew over a juvenile Little Blue Heron.
He finally touched down with a flourish surrounded by lush green swamp vegetation.
Great Egret dropping
Gracefully into the pond
To start a new day
Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, 7/15/18, 6:45 AM
The Great Blue Herons have all fledged and have mostly left the rookery area. A few later starting Great Egrets chicks are still around, but they have grown to almost adult size and won’t be around much longer.
This pair looks a little goofy as they look around on a hot day.
Some of the Great Egret chicks are showing a lot of interest in the world beyond their nest and they have spread out into the space vacated by the Great Blue Heron chick.
The wading birds spend a lot of time standing in place. This one was surveying the landscape on a sandbar at the edge of Charleston Harbor.
A storm was coming and most of the other birds around had already taken cover, but he didn’t seem the least bit fazed.
