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April 20, 2024 - A Great Egret in breeding plumage was preening at the edge of the lake.... Read more
Great Egret
 | My everyday feathers are white and boring, but in my breeding plumage, I’m much fancier. I get a green mandible and fluffy tail feathers. I’m one of the more common white birds that you’ll see in Florida’s marshes. I’m bigger than my cousins the Snowy and Cattle Egrets. Most Likely Found: In a pond, In the marsh When: Year-Round Where I've photographed: Alligator Farm, Circle B Bar Reserve, Fort De Soto, Gatorland Rookery, Lake Apopka, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Orlando Wetlands, Polk Rookery, Venice Rookery, Viera Wetlands Read more: Great Egret at Cornell Lab of Ornithology Ebird: Great Egret eBird range |
I have written 44 posts including a photo of a Great Egret
Golden Hour at Orlando Wetlands
January 15, 2024 - Like a couple of weeks ago at Orlando Wetlands Park, when the rising sun glimmered through fog just as some Great Egrets started thinking about springtime.... At first I saw this one Great Egret, posed in the golden light.... Read more
Rich Found a Turtle at Orlando Wetlands
April 8, 2023 - Everybody's favorite Great Egret nest became very active with the last rays of the sun.... Read more
How Many Beaks Can You Count? Roseate Spoonbill Nest
March 30, 2023 - A Great Egret posed nearby.... The Great Egrets are one of the first wading birds to breed in the spring.... The Great Egret chicks fuss with a sound like "nah-nah-nah." The Roseate Spoonbill chicks have more of a wheezing sound.... Read more
Breeding Birds at Lake Apopka
March 25, 2023 - This Great Egret was foraging for his supper in the canal.... Read more
Sunset at Orlando Wetlands
March 18, 2023 - The stars of the evening -- besides the spoonbills -- were the two tiny Great Egret chicks.... Read more
Why Did the Purple Gallinule Cross the Trail?
September 12, 2021 - A late-nesting Great Egret was feeding her juvenile down by the lake.... Read more
Another Early June Bike Ride at Lake Apopka
July 25, 2021 - A Great Egret flew over the lake.... Read more
Chasing Warblers at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
September 5, 2017 - Great Egret Painted Buntings are returning to Central Florida, and though I didn't see one at LAWD, I look forward to welcoming them to my yard in about a month!... Read more
Feeding Frenzy at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
August 25, 2017 - This Great Egret had just caught a fish.... Read more
July 4 Weekend at Lake Apopka
July 20, 2017 - As I headed down Welland Road, I noticed a Great Egret grab a catfish and head up the berm to eat it.... Nearby a Great Egret posed regally on a branch sticking out of the water.... Read more
Gatorland in Early April
April 23, 2016 - All the species were there: Great Egrets, Tricolored Herons, Snowy Egrets, Little Blue Herons, Anhingas, Double-Crested Cormorants, and Cattle Egrets.... Actually all the species were engaged in wonderful breeding displays, even the Great Egrets, who as the earliest breeders already have nests with half-grown chicks.... Many of the Great Egrets…... Read more
Breeding Colors on Display at Gatorland
May 8, 2015 - I was surprised to see a few Great Egrets still in their bright green colors.... The Great Egrets are the first to move into the rookery in early February.... The Great Egret teenagers are still standing on their nests, begging for food, long after the younger Snowy chicks have fledged.... Read more
Venice Rookery
January 21, 2015 - There were also a few pairs of Great Egrets that were nesting.... This particular nest site was being eyed by both the Great Blue Herons and the Great Egrets.... The Great Egret will bend, thrust his head into the air, then bend back down again.... Read more
Lots of Good Color at the Gatorland Rookery
April 22, 2014 - We had excellent opportunities with Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, and especially the Cattle Egrets.... The Great Egrets are in all stages of breeding.... This nest of Great Egret chicks was a lot of fun to photograph.... Read more
Gorgeous Birds at Gatorland
April 17, 2013 - When I was there with Debbie, the Great Egrets were the primary nesters.... Some of the Great Egret chicks are getting pretty big.... Already bigger than the adult Snowy Egrets, the Great Egrets are some of the slowest to mature.... Read more
Slow Season this Year at the Gatorland Rookery
April 9, 2013 - The Great Egrets are nesting, but we saw very few Tricolored Herons or Snowy Egrets.... It didn't seem to bother the Great Egrets, but maybe the Snowies and Tricoloreds have more sense than to nest when it's still dipping into the high 30s?... There were a couple of Great Egret…... Read more
Sunset at the Polk Rookery
April 8, 2013 - We saw Great Egrets in all stages of breeding.... Read more
Foggy Mornings at the Circle B Bar Reserve
March 21, 2013 - Speaking of breeding plumage, this Great Egret was all decked out with his lacy feathers and green lore.... Read more
Gatorland Rookery Great Egrets Put on a Show
March 9, 2013 - I headed to the Gatorland Rookery in hopes of capturing some Great Egret nesting activity.... But on the morning side, today there were mostly Great Egrets.... There are a couple of Great Egret nests with chicks, and at least one nest with teenagers (those tall gangly babies that haven't learned…... Read more
Father’s Day at the Polk Rookery
June 20, 2012 - The Great Egrets are the first to nest, and some of the last to fledge. It's interesting how the smaller birds, like Tricolored Herons and Snowy Egrets, start nesting later and fledge sooner, than the bigger birds. A couple of the fledgling Great Egrets were still hanging around on Sunday. …... Read more
More from Circle B Bar Reserve
May 21, 2012 - ...As I drove to work with the rising sun in my eyes this morning, all I could think was that I’d rather be at the Circle B Bar Reserve! :) It’s unusual when I have such a good morning that I have to extend my description to multiple blog posts. This one is looking like […] Read more
More from the North Beach Shores at Fort De Soto…
March 30, 2012 - The tidal pools by the concession stand were quite productive that morning. I was hoping for Snowy or Piping Plovers, but they didn't want to give me any more lifers for the day. Instead this Great Egret gave me nice flight opportunities...... Read more
Mirror, Mirror, in the Lake…Who’s the Most Handsome Drake?
January 7, 2012 - Bird Species List (31 total): American Coot, American White Pelican, Anhinga, Belted Kingfisher, Black-Bellied Whistling Duck, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Blue-Winged Teal, Boat-tailed Grackle, Brown Pelican, Caspian Tern, Common Gallinule, Eastern Phoebe (heard), Gadwall, Glossy Ibis, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Greater Yellowlegs, Laughing Gull, Least Yellowlegs, Limpkin, Mottled Duck, Palm Warbler,…... Read more
Strike a Pose
December 1, 2011 - This Great Egret also posed at the pond by the entrance to Pebble Ridge.... Read more
Birds Posing on Palms at Viera Wetlands
November 22, 2011 - ...It’s been a while since I went birding anywhere except the Circle B Bar Reserve, so I decided to head over to Viera Wetlands yesterday morning. I’ve been following the birding news on Birdbrains and I knew that the wetlands aren’t particularly active at the moment, and that was true. But I did end up […] Read more
Hummers and Cuckoos at the Circle B Bar Reserve
June 4, 2011 - Great Egret The region on the Alligator Alley trail where Banana Creek opens up into Lake Hancock is a really good nesting area! That's where we've seen the Barred Owls, Red-Shouldered Hawks, and Limpkins nest. A Great Blue Heron tried to nest there. Now there are Pileated Woodpeckers in the…... Read more
Birds and Babies Everywhere at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm
May 31, 2011 - Tricolored Heron chicks There is one Great Egret nest in the big oak tree, right at eye level with a not-too-cluttered background. The babies had just woken up when I noticed them, then Dad flew in with breakfast. Oh boy! They wiggled just as hard as they could with excitement. …... Read more
Spoon-Feeding at the Polk Rookery
May 29, 2011 - Herman took my dad and me out in his boat again this morning. The Polk Rookery has changed considerably since my last visit in March. Then the birds were building their nests, and Great Egrets, Wood Storks dominated the Brazilian Pepper. Today the rookery was filled with fledgling birds of…... Read more
Of Drunken Sailors and Crab Legs (Fort De Soto)
May 21, 2011 - I arrived just as the sun was peeking over the horizon. I resisted the temptation to photograph the orange fireball in the eastern sky, and instead I hurried to North Beach. The tidal pools in front of the concession stand were still and as yet unlit by the rising sun. …... Read more
Incredible Morning at the Alligator Farm Rookery
May 14, 2011 - Augustine Alligator Farm's bird rookery. It's right at peak season and the rookery, and the activity is awesome! Some Great Egrets are still building nests, others have tiny babies, and still more have fledglings who know how to leave the nest but still haven't figured out how to feed themselves. …... Read more
In Search of Babies at Circle B Bar Reserve
April 10, 2011 - Glossy Ibis with Frog We walked up past the Four Corners intersection in search of the Limpkin nest that Michael Libbe pointed out to me last week. We found the nest with no trouble, in a small maple tree at about eye level at the last culvert on the trail. …... Read more
Beautiful Morning at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
April 3, 2011 - Loggerhead Shrike We spotted a Great Egret with a pretty green lore. He went fishing and came up with a tasty morsel!... Great Egret Dyeyo teased me that this Great Egret wasn't as good as the birds at the St.... Read more
Foggy but Interesting Morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve
March 27, 2011 - Ruddy Duck A Great Egret yawned at us from a post as we walked by...... Great Egret We found two Sandhill Crane adults who seemed to be a pair. There weren't any babies near them, though. We saw Limpkins with their apple snails. Wouldn't it be cool if the Limpkins…... Read more
Let’s Go Build a Nest! (Polk Rookery)
March 20, 2011 - Augustine Alligator Farm Rookery, this one is totally wild. There were hundreds of birds there, most of them sporting their breeding plumages. We saw Great Egrets, Wood Storks, Roseate Spoonbills, Black-Crowned Night Herons, White Ibises, Great Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets, Tricolored Herons, Little Blue Herons, Brown Pelicans, Double-Crested Cormorants, Anhingas,…... Read more
Quiet Morning at Fort De Soto
March 12, 2011 - Red-Breasted Merganser A Great Egret was feeding off the East Beach as well. The water was very still. I turned up the exposure compensation and tried to catch the splash as the bird fished.... Great Egret I went back to the North Beach and looked for warblers in the picnic…... Read more
February Photo Walk at Circle B Bar Reserve
February 26, 2011 - Juvenile Eagle Feeding Time After we made our way back around to Heron Hideout, this Great Egret reminded me that it's good to "take time to smell the flowers." Only I think he was eating them, not smelling them!... Great Egret Our group was totally disbanded by this point in…... Read more
You Know it’s Springtime at Circle B Bar Reserve if…
February 20, 2011 - Osprey Dyeyo spotted a Great Egret feeding on a snake, off Wading Bird Way. Poor Dyeyo, his card filled on him just as he started to shoot! I switched into video mode to capture the live-action...the snake did not want to be eaten, and he wrapped himself around the egret's…... Read more
Bittern-ly Chilly Morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve
January 15, 2011 - Pied-Billed Grebe I was excited to see this Great Egret fly overhead.... Great Egret The weather alternated between cloudy and sunny throughout the morning.... Species list: American Bittern, American Coot, American Robin, American White Pelican, American Wigeon, Anhinga, Bald Eagle, Black-Bellied Whistling Duck, Black Vulture, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Blue-Winged Teal, Common…... Read more
Beautiful Morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve
December 22, 2010 - Brown Pelican A Great Egret flew overhead as well, giving me the opportunity to finally take a picture of his full wingspread illuminated by the rising sun.... Great Egret Of course, there were plenty of birds on the ground, too. American Coots and Pied-Billed Grebes are everywhere in the marsh. …... Read more
Fledglings are Starting to Leave Gatorland’s Bird Rookery
July 10, 2010 - Cattle Egret This Great Egret juvenile fussed his little head off every time his parent came by. I think the parent was trying to encourage the bird to branch-hop, as the parent kept hopping farther away, trying to get the baby to follow to feed. The baby wasn't so sure…... Read more
Spoonbills and baby birds at St. Augustine Rookery
May 8, 2010 - When you first enter the rookery, you are on a boardwalk in between several large oak trees. In the tops of those trees, the wood storks have made their large nests. A little farther down, the great egret chicks are getting older, and they constantly dance around, begging for food. …... Read more
Bird-watching at Circle B Bar Reserve
December 23, 2009 - Sand hill crane This Great Egret was pretty against the background of bright yellow flowers that cover the dry portions of the reserve. He was fishing.... Great Egret (and poor fish) The Heron Hideout wasn't as busy as our last visit, but we did see a bunch of herons, and…... Read more
Baby Birds at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Bird Rookery
May 1, 2009 - Bird Nests and Photographers (Look at those Lenses!!) Great Egret Mommy and Babies Little Great Egrets Great Egret Feeding Baby Great Egret Babies Great Egret Babies Tricolored Heron on Nest Snowy Egret Wood Storks Cattle Egret There were some other birds at the zoo as well, much more colorful, but…... Read more