The tide was out and the mud was up to his knees. Extra effort must have been needed to take off.
However, that didn’t stop him from landing in another quagmire.
Great Egret, Mud Flaps
Tag Archives: Great Egret
Great Egret, Nest Material
I saw this Great Egret land and expected him to get run off by the occupant of the nest about 8 feet (2 M) above him.
He poked around a bit, and was surprisingly ignored by the Great Egret in the nest.
Suddenly he swooped down to the water…
… and came up with a stick!
After circling around the tree he made a nice landing at the top, delivering the stick to his mate. Turns out he didn’t go far from home for this delivery of nesting material.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
March 17, 2021
A Wondrous Sight
Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Tricolored Herons… not a great photo opportunity but a wonderful thing to see.
The small specs are Swallows; even smaller was the generous supply of mosquitoes and gnats.
Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, ACE Basin, SC
March 11, 2021
Great Egret Into the Tree Top
It didn’t look like the best choice of landing spots to me.
But what do I know…a hop
and skip
and touch down!
Late Afternoon Dance: Great Egret
Great Egrets are gathering around the swamp and just before sundown is a favorite time to show off.
Great Egrets Doing Their Thing
A variety of birds were spread along the far side of the pond and many of the Great Egrets were just standing around while American Avocet and American White Pelicans came and went. This pair seemed to be on the lookout for something.
One did fly in and join the group. I suspect those posts are the remnants of a duck blind.
The Great Egret made the typical graceful landing and the others paid no attention.
Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, SC
February 17, 2021
American Avocet
American Avocet aren’t the only birds in these images, but I haven’t seen one in awhile so thought I’d give them top billing. And I really like them with their snazzy color scheme.
I sure was hoping they would fly closer to my side of the pond.
Instead they disappeared on the other side of the marsh.
Great Egret Hunting in Swamp
This Great Egret was on his own as he hunted in a swamp were recent rains have left the water levels high around the edges.
Slow and methodical he went around a large tree, starting to show some fancy tail feathers of the approaching breeding season.
A big swallow…
…maybe it wasn’t what he was expecting… you don’t often see an Egret spit out food.
All good, he continued around the tree.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
February 8, 2021
Are You Looking at Me?
Two Great Egrets stared at each other over a bunch of Snowy Egrets. The Snowy in front just couldn’t hold a pose.
Territorial Great Egret, Round 2
It got a little more personal when the Great Egret that had been chased off looped back to canal edge.
Very powerful flyers, both Egrets put on quite a display.
The shot in between these two not clear, but the dominant Egret was holding the other down by the neck.
This behavior seemed like mating season combat, but the visual cues of the elongated tail and green eye lores aren’t present and we generally don’t see Great Egrets mating until March.
And once again, the interloper retreated.
December 22, 2020
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Boat Pond