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Thursday, February 27, 2014

Reddish Egret

I'm not a birder. Just about everything I know about bird identification I've learned from my fellow bloggers. When I saw this bird while in Florida last month, I had no idea what it was. A little internet research soon revealed that my mystery bird was a Reddish Egret. 

 
The Reddish Egret is described as a medium to large heron with reddish or rusty coloring on the head and neck; slate-gray body; long, blue legs; and pink bill with black tip. I read that there is also an all-white version of this bird, but even that morph retains the traditional coloration of legs and bill.


It is said that the Reddish Egret, an inhabitant of the saltwater marshes and lagoons skirting the Gulf of Mexico, is the rarest and least well-known of the North American herons.


The Texas Parks and Wildlife website states that there are only 1,500 to 2,000 nesting pairs of Reddish Egrets in the United States; and most of these are in Texas.






This egret is noted for its spirited foraging techniques.

I recently came across some photos of a Reddish Egret posted by fellow blogger, Tabor. I thought her images were spectacular, especially as they show this bird demonstrating some attitude. Click here to see a Reddish Egret with a killer hairdo.


18 comments:

  1. I have never seen a reddish egret before. How majestic! What a great series of photos here, Linda, and the last one is the icing on the cake.

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  2. awesome coloring. wow ... not a color combo i have ever seen. i get to see either white or that blueish color. this is a nice change. i like how they get all tousled??! is that the word i want??! maybe?? ha. ha!! ( :

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  3. These photos are a real treat for me since I am rarely near the Gulf. I love this colorful bird. I can't seem to find the list of birds we saw at Bentsen Rio Grande State Park in Texas several years ago so I may have seen it from a distance but not closeup for sure. Imagine having blue legs and not even being cold; that's pretty cool.

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  4. I hadn't seen pictures of this bird before. Your photos are marvelous.

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  5. linda, you absolutely blew me away with these shots! crystal clear, perfect detail and lighting! wow! magnificent creature (which i've never seen in person - they stay along the coast.)

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  6. Hi Linda - Your shots of this Egret are just absolutely superb! They are crystal clear, and like Tex said, the lighting was perfect! Congrats!!! Oh, and I went and looked at the shots in the link you gave us - terrific photos there too.

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  7. What a magnificent capture of such a beautiful bird.I will have to read more on this catch.

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  8. So kind of you to link AND to comment! Your photos are beautiful.

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  9. Fantastic captures, Linda. You and Tabor were both lucky to see this beauty and to photograph it so well.

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  10. Beautiful pictures. When I saw my first one in Florida I thought it was drunk, staggering around to stir up food. Interesting foraging technique indeed!

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  11. It's a beautiful bird, Linda, the combination of colours is quite unusual looking. Its long brown feathers on the neck resemble mane, don't they? :)

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  12. You have fantastic images of this bird. That bill is so unusual in it's colouring.

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  13. I love his feathers...and the red is indeed new to me....nice photos....but then they always are.:)

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  14. Oh. Em. Gee. Seriously, these photos are spectacular! You have to know I am just a tad bit envious (Lord, forgive me) that you not only saw this, but got such fantastic images. :) Gosh, I really did not know they were this gorgeous. Bravo, Linda, bravo!!!

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  15. Hi Linda! I am just intrigued by this birds eyes. They seem so piercing and intent! I'm sure that helps with catching dinner, but it speaks to me of intent. I hope I can be as focused on my life...and as aware!
    Thank you for introducing yet another bird to me. Coming here is like a tutorial for me, and done in a beautiful way with photos.

    Blessings to you,
    Ceil

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  16. Those are great shots Linda! What a find. Thanks for sharing. I hope you and Doug have been well! :)

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