Ignoring the flurry of mating and nesting activity in the pond behind him this Great Egret enjoyed the afternoon sun on his own. His long feather plumes of breeding season are neatly tucked in but he can’t hide that neon green face patch.
Lichen and moss add a little interest to early spring photographs before the trees have leafed out.
You can just barely see the turquoise colored egg between this Great Egret pair’s feet, under the neck of the bird on the right.
All they can do now is wait. He did bring a few more sticks for the female to poke around before she laid back down.
I’ll be checking back regularly looking for chicks.
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A group of about twenty Great Egrets have taken over an area of the Audubon Swamp recently cleared of invasive cattails and other weeds. Some have started nests and others are still concentrating on their flirting skills.
I got to this spot about a half hour before sundown when there wasn’t quite enough light for sharp shots at this distance. The favored trees where most of the Great Egret mating dance activity was going on are facing the other side of the open water with no human access points.
A few of the Egrets did stop and pose in clearer areas, before they looped around again to impress potential mates.
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Magnolia Plantation Audubon Swamp, 3/4/2017.
With less than an hour until the sun went down this Great Egret male stepped up his efforts to bring sticks to the nest.
He selected sticks of all sizes and on some trips took quite awhile to pick them out.
The female may already be sitting on eggs: she didn’t stand up when he got to the nest. She happily accepted the sticks he brought, rearranging each one multiple times.
He flew to several points around the pond in his efforts, providing me with multiple angles for photographs.
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Great Egret, Magnolia Plantation Audubon Swamp, 3/4/2017.
Selection of the sticks to add to the nest is important business. This Great Egret selected and discarded a few before being satisfied.
A short trip back to the nest.
This was repeated several times with sticks selected from several points around the pond.
The female took each contribution and added it to the nest.
Magnolia Plantation Audubon Swamp Rookery, 3/3/2017.
The spindly looking branches didn’t look like they would hold this Great Egret.
But at only about 2 pounds according to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the egret stuck the landing very easily.
A few flaps of his wings and balance from the tail and he was set. The breeding plumage adds to the show but doesn’t have much substance to add to flight negotiations.
About ten minutes later he was still there, grooming as the light faded just before sundown.
A number of wading birds have returned to this marsh area in the last few weeks. The numbers of Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons had gone down to just one or two that were easy to see the last few times I was here.
Today a half dozen of both the Great Blues and Egrets were in and out of a canal area that is conducive to full body photos.
The reeds that make up most of the marsh are slowly sinking as winter progresses, making it a little easier to see birds approaching and where they land.
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