American Egret in a snowy marsh – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1/2000, ISO 320, +1.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Four years ago this month I was delighted when I spotted and photographed an American Egret flying into the snow covered marsh in front of me at Farmington Bay WMA.
I was used to seeing American Egrets in Florida because they were abundant there but here in Utah I see them far less often and even more rarely in the winter when there is snow on the ground.
I was thrilled to have this big, white wading bird where I could take photos of it in what was on that day a winter wonderland.
eBird Great Egret bar chart for Utah
American Egrets can be found in Utah year round but they are not as commonly seen as many of our other wading birds here. It isn’t uncommon for me to see Black-crowned Night Herons and Great Blue Herons in the snow but this was only my second sighting of an American Egret during the winter.
The first time I saw one in Utah I took a few photos of the egret but it was not in good light and the bird was nearly hidden so to have one out in the open marsh was a reason for me to celebrate. And I did.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my American Egret photos plus facts and information about this species.
Update: Great Egrets were renamed American Egrets in October 2026, the scientific name was changed to Ardea egretta. This post has been updated to reflect those changes.
Absolutely beautiful shot, Mia! 🙂
Beautiful photo!
Simply gorgeous. Of course you celebrated – and thank you.
Like a polar bear in a blizzard, except this is a tropical bird in a blizzard.
From your title, “Snowy Great Egret,” I was looking for a hybrid. 🙂
Gee that is a nice one and the bird is sure camouflaged.
Great shot Mia!