Great Egret in the marsh of Bear River MBR – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
When I lived in Florida Great Egrets were almost everywhere but in Utah I find them much harder to find. One week ago today I found a Great Egret in the marshy wetlands of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge that was close enough to photograph. The light angle wasn’t perfect but I simply didn’t care because the egret was illuminated by the soft golden light.
There were American White Pelicans, Ring-billed and California Gulls, ducks and another distant Great Egret in the area. It was this egret that I kept in my viewfinder.
I don’t know where the Great Egrets that live in the wetlands at the refuge nest. In many of their breeding areas including Florida they use trees to nest in and form large, colonial rookeries. There aren’t any large stands of trees at the refuge so perhaps they nest on the ground.
What I do know is that when I find a Great Egret here in northern Utah I do what I can to photograph it because I simply don’t see them as often as I would like. Several Range maps indicate that Great Egrets aren’t year round residents in northern Utah but I question those results because I have seen them in every month of the year here including the depths of winter.
Whatever the season I am always delighted to have Great Egrets in my viewfinder.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Great Egret photos plus facts and information about this species.
Wonderful image of a beautiful bird. Sorry to hear so many reports of declining numbers of many birds (climate change).
I suspect that your observations are more to be trusted than Range Maps. Particularly now with the impact of climate change.
Very pretty bird. I have see some white birds near the Tongue River Reservoir at the Montana-Wyoming State line. Wonder if they are the Great Egrets?
Very nice. I too wish we could see more. I wonder why they have drained the canal? Yesterday that is were all the wading birds were.
Thank you. Always good to see Great Egrets. The salt marshes still looking rather dead out here but soon will be coming back into life. Can’t wait!
Cool photo, Mia