When Francois sent me an image of a presumed Snowy Egret he got at Jamaica Bay this weekend I immediately set about trying to turn it into something else. It turns out that sometimes Snowy Egrets in breeding plumage have pink lores. And this bird had really pink lores! Check out the awesome shots Francois got.
Corey is a New Yorker who lived most of his life in upstate New York but has lived in Queens since 2008. He's only been birding since 2005 but has garnered a respectable life list by birding whenever he wasn't working as a union representative or spending time with his family. He lives in Forest Hills with Daisy and Desmond Shearwater. His bird photographs have appeared on the Today Show, in Birding, Living Bird Magazine, Bird Watcher's Digest, and many other fine publications. He is also the author of the American Birding Association Field Guide to the Birds of New York.
I just learned about the pink lores this year…I’ve yet to see it myself…they are reserved for birds in ultra-facemelt mode.
Always pays to look at a field guide.
@Felonious Jive: Seriously. Facemelt supreme!
@rick wright: Yeah, Sibley didn’t mention that.
If I remember right it’s well illustrated in NatGeo.
Greetings from the land of blue-faced Squacco Herons–
Yeah, a quick Google search ended up stilling my overexcited heart but I was briefly hoping for Little Egret.
Also, I want to pick your brain about your current trip so please drop me a line when you get back to the states…
Will do.
Wow, that would’ve flummoxed me big time. Amazing pix.