Great Egret Thursday 8-14-14 Blog Challenge
By lorac
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I found these photos by Janice McCafferty and Anis Shahmiri on the internet. I think these birds are absolutely gorgeous. Here is some background information on the Egret:
The elegant Great Egret is a dazzling sight in many a North American wetland. Slightly smaller and more svelte than a Great Blue Heron, these are still large birds with impressive wingspans. They hunt in classic heron fashion, standing immobile or wading through wetlands to capture fish with a deadly jab of their yellow bill. Great Egrets were hunted nearly to extinction for their plumes in the late nineteenth century, sparking conservation movements and some of the first laws to protect birds.
- Size & Shape
- Great Egrets are tall, long-legged wading birds with long, S-curved necks and long, dagger-like bills. In flight, the long neck is tucked in and the legs extend far beyond the tip of the short tail.
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Color Pattern
All feathers on Great Egrets are white. Their bills are yellowish-orange, and the legs black.
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Behavior
Great Egrets wade in shallow water (both fresh and salt) to hunt fish, frogs, and other small aquatic animals. They typically stand still and watch for unsuspecting prey to pass by. Then, with startling speed, the egrets strike with a jab of their long neck and bill.
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Habitat
You’ll find Great Egrets in both freshwater and saltwater habitats. They are colonial nesters, typically placing stick nests high in trees, often on islands that are isolated from mammalian predators such as raccoons.
Supplies Used:
ABR Yours Truly Nano Collection -- Paper2
ABR Yours Truly Collection -- Emb Mini Butterfly, Emb Mini Bird, Leaves, Flowers, Alphas recolored using AFT SSStyles Scratched Metals, Branches
ABR JIF Yours Truly -- Stems, Leaves, Flowers
MRE Lifted Photos -- Weathered Stacked
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