On the Road in Texas - Great Egret

While walking along the Water Walk in San Antonio, I came across this great egret who was walking back and forth on a bridge foundation clearly looking for a meal. He walked around for about 5 minutes, then gave up and flew down the Water Way.
A large white heron, the Great Egret is found across much of the world, from southern Canada southward to Argentina, and in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. It's the largest egret in the Old World, and thus has garnered the name Great White Egret. But in the Americas, the white form of the Great Blue Heron is larger and warrants that name. In the United States, the Great Egret used to be called the American Egret but that was hardly appropriate, since the species range extends beyond America and indeed farther than other herons.
Plume hunters in the late 1800s and early 1900s reduced North American populations by more than 95 percent. The populations recovered after the birds were protected by law. No population is considered threatened, but the species is vulnerable to the loss of wetlands.
>The Great Egret is the symbol of the National Audubon Society, one of the oldest environmental organizations in North America. Audubon was founded to protect birds from being killed for their feathers.
>Not all young that hatch survive the nestling period. Aggression among nestlings is common and large chicks frequently kill their smaller siblings.
>Not all young that hatch survive the nestling period. Aggression among nestlings is common and large chicks frequently kill their smaller siblings.
>The longevity record for a wild Great Egret is nearly 23 years.

Egrets and Muscovies from the Tampa Trip

Last week, I talked about the Monk Parrots that I photographed when visiting Habitat friends Mike and Kay T. These friends have a backyard that borders a lake in Tampa, Florida, and has many water fowl, hawks, eagles, and a wide variety of small mammals and reptiles. In addition to the monk parrots, I managed to get photos of these Muscovy ducks and this Tri-colored or Louisiana Egret. These, like the parrots, have never been observed in the Habitat.


I would like to take credit for stalking this egret to get closer. The reality is that I took the first photo and then looked down to adjust the camera. When I looked up, the egret was right in front of me. This was the first egret that I had photographed outside of the Colvin Run Habitat.