Dramatic Display

Great Egret courtship display at sunset . . . I never tire of seeing this.

Peaceful Evening With Baby

Great Egret parent and chick sharing a beautiful evening as the activities of the day at the Smith Oaks Rookery come to a close.

New in the Nest

A baby Egret in a large Texas Rookery. One of the first to hatch for the season.

Taking it all in.

Juvenile great egret at Kiwanis Lake, York, PA

Am I Pretty

A Great Egret showing off his manhood feathers to attract a female

Feeding time

Two Baby Egrets Nagging Their Mother for a meal

Great White Egret with eggs

Great white Egret arranging her eggs

Two Egret Cuties

Two newly hatched Egret nestlings with BIG HAIR

Comparing Notes

I visited the wild bird rookery at St. Augustine in May when the Wood Storks, Great Egrets and Spoonbills all had nestlings. I am always surprised at how close together different species nest in rookeries. These two nests (wood storks above and great egrets below) were only maybe 24 inches apart. But the nestlings didn’t seem to mind, and the business of feeding hungry babies went off without a hitch.

Great Egrets Harassing Mom

Bring us anything?

This parent had been gone a long time from a rookery behind a shopping center in Port Richey, Florida. Upon return the chicks seemed to be asking, “What did you bring us?” The answer this time was nothing. Featured twice in the “Tampa Tribune,” this rookery is the site of the 2016 winning Audubon photo by Melissa Groo, one of the top nature and conservation photographers in America.