Feb. 27, 2011 - Snowy Egrets

Among the Egrets and Herons found in North America, I would nominate the Snowy Egret as the most beautiful. At about 2 feet tall, it seems dainty and delicate and its long white breeding plumes are especially impressive. This one, found at the fishing pier on Sanibel Island, wasn’t being dainty however. It was chasing another Snowy Egret and was very aggressive about it.

EgretSnowyLighthousePointSanibelIsland20110126

This is the stalking posture taken by another Snowy Egret near the fishing pier. This species is often called the bird with the golden slippers and you can see why in this photo. Another feature that isn’t often mentioned is the yellow stripe down the back of each leg.

EgretSnowyLighthousePointSanibelIsland20110126

A feeding frenzy was in progress at one of the small pools along the wildlife drive at Ding Darling NWR. Many Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets were crowded into the pool. They would fly across the pool and pluck something off the surface of the water. I wasn’t able to see what they were getting

FeedingFrenzyDingDarlingNWRSanibelIsland20110124

The birds perched in the mangroves that surrounded the pool and waited for an opportunity to grab some food.

EgretSnowyDingDarlingNWRSanibelIsland20110124

This Snowy was right near the surface of the water waiting for a prey item to come close enough to grab.

EgretSnowyDingDarlingNWRSanibelIsland20110124

Here’s a Snowy Egret standing on a log that extended into the water. This log was a prized perch and the birds fought over the right to claim it. During these encounters, the combatants would raise their feathers to appear more impressive.

EgretSnowyDingDarlingNWRSanibelIsland20110124