Great Egrets at the Marine Nature Study Area
By Corey • July 14, 2008 • 10 commentsThe Oceanside Marine Nature Study Area in Hempstead, NY, a marvelous saltmarsh preserve on the south 
side of Lond Island, is well known for its nesting Seaside and Saltmarsh Sparrows, to say nothing of the video camera-monitored Osprey nest and breeding Clapper Rails (which this year also had a camera on the nest which allowed viewers to watch 14 (!) eggs hatch). Less attention is paid to some of the other birds that can be seen there, even when those birds are rather impressive in their own right. On my trip there with Daisy and our novice birder friend, Kerry, however, we couldn’t help but pay attention to the Great Egrets that seemed to think that they deserved every bit as much attention as the rarer species. We couldn’t have gotten away from the giant white birds even if we wanted to!
The Marine Nature Study Area is a great place to bring a novice birder during the doldrum days of summer. The birds are big and bright and easy to see and there is always the chance that a rarity like a Clapper Rail will show itself and completely warp the mind of a new birder into thinking that this birding thing isn’t so tough at all. But I’ll get into the other birds we spotted in my next post; this one is for the Great Egrets.
Kerry and a Great Egret enjoyed watching each other.
The Great Egrets just couldn’t stay away.
They are beautiful, even when disheveled.
This Snowy Egret helpfully showed its yellow feet and smaller size.
Great Egrets, of course, have black feet.
We were greatly amused by a Great Egret turf war
and we were impressed by their almost five-foot wingspan
and by their plumage, even from the rear!
I think that now Kerry will never have a problem identifying a Great Egret, even from a distance. And up close, well, how can you misidentify this?
Tags: Great Egret, herons and egrets, Marine Nature Study Area, Nassau County
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A beautiful bird, indeed. The wingspan is so impressive.
Great shots and you even got a Yellow Crowned Night Heron at the side!
Pretty cool!
Cheers, Klaus
Beautiful shots. The egrets at that park must be very acclimated to humans.
Spectacular. Egrets (both sizes) are some of my favorite birds. They are so dazzling.
@Everyone: Thanks!
@John: The odd thing is that in previous visits the egrets weren’t tame at all. Maybe some new ones moved in?
@Liza Lee: I never would have guessed that you are a fan of egrets.
Egrets are such cool looking birds. And the great egrets are so elegant looking. Love that plumage shot, Corey.
Thanks Mary!
[...] difficult Empidonax flycatchers, and a whole family, terns. Also, Black Skimmers, Blue Cranes, Great Egrets, Short-eared Owls, Cliff Swallows, a Clapper Rail, “swedish, crested, and manky” [...]
Great Photos! They are beautiful birds!
What are these odds?………While I was traveling on I-5 in Northern California yesterday a Great Egret took off from the side of the road and bounced off my windshield at 70 MPH. I turned around immediately and was able to wave off all the 18 wheelers and cars and rescued the bird. It was still alive, breathing strongly and there was no blood. I had broken its legs and one wing. I raced to the nearest wildlife sanctuary at 85 MPH but since it was an hour away…….sadly, the bird passed away on the way to the bird hospital. Internal injuries. I was devastated. With all the birds being killed with the Gulf oil spill. That just made it worse. However, I saved it from becoming road kill. And they cremate the remains. Of course, I plucked a few feathers out so I can make a memorial to this beautiful creature. I will someday replace it with something hopefully as beautiful.