The Travels of Tug 44 |
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Great Egret |
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Great Egrets do roost in trees, but walking on stilts up there on a windy day requires a bit of flapping to avoid being blown off the branch. high-res
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A Great Egret in a typical hunting pose. She is watching for fish, crayfish and any other small water critter. high-res
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Great Egrets make strange calls, they make raspy growling noises. high-res
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A Great Egret couple relaxing on a floating log. They often take the exact same position as the other does. The one on the right is obviously the female, she's doing all the talking. high-res
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And now the Great Egrets are preening in unison. high-res
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Great Egrets have a long thin tongue that goes all the way out to the end of the beak. high-res
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In late April 2019, this Great Egret landed in my back yard, and started fishing the drained Champlain Canal. Look carefully, she has a small fish she is tossing in her beak, to get it pointed right so it will slide down head first. Look closely at her back end, she has her breeding feathers on, but they are all folded up. high-res
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Herons tend to remain motionless until a fish comes close enough to strike at it. But occasionally Great Egrets will chase a nearby, but out of reach fish. Here she starts striding after a fish about 3-4 feet away. high-res
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And the Great Egret strikes at the fish! high-res
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Success! This Great Egret has caught her lunch. high-res
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And off she flies. Great Egrets are a fantastic sight as they fly. high-res
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This Great Egret is preening her wing feathers. high-res
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Preening keeps the feathers clean and keeps them waterproof. high-res
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This Great Egret has 2 dragonflies clircling her. They are in danger as the Egret will snap at them if they come within reach. high-res
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This Great Egret just caught a fish. Note the black marks on her neck and head, it is late August and she is in the middle of moulting. high-res
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Another Great Egret that just caught a fish, and she is also moulting. high-res
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This Great Egret is sitting on a roadside utility wire. Now that's something you won't see every day. :) high-res |
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