Egrets, Egrets & More Egrets

Oddly enough, at the beginning of Spring Great Blue Herons seemed to occupy the majority of the nests at the Heron Rookery on Old Hickory Lake, along with a few Black Cormorants and Black Crowned Night Herons, and nary a Great White Egret. Fast forward to this week and it's all about the Great White Egrets. They were plentiful at the rookery.

The Egrets were busy flying in and out and in and out of the rookery. And at times creating havoc as they flew in. I'm guessing this guy didn't have clearance from the tower for this landing.

I love to photograph these gorgeous birds as they are so regal looking with their solid white physiques. Hope your week is going well. It's a balmy 81 with virtually no humidity tonight here in Tennessee and I am super happy about it. ENJOY!

A Cormorant Can!

At the Heron Rookery on Old Hickory Lake, you will find all sorts of species, as is evidence in my previous posts. The black Cormorant with their solid black bodies and bright colored skin can be found around the globe. Sleek black physiques, crooked bills and bright skin definitely set them apart from all of the other shore birds.

After a quick dive, the Cormorant finds a perch like this branch way up in the rookery next to their nest, to promptly dry their wings. My first encounter with Cormorants left me wondering what species they were. I Googled them and quickly got up to speed. Their trademark drying of the wings always gives them away, if not their long black bodies. I still remember the first time I saw them sunning on large rocks off the coast of Cape Cod. You can find them generally in groups.

After sifting through my archive of images, I discovered the only image of a nesting Cormorant was from my last outing. Take a look back at my last posts. Just scroll down this page and you will find the other birds nesting that day at the rookery on Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville. The rookery is crazy busy right now. Notice the Great Blue Heron giving the Cormorant the stink eye. So funny. ENJOY!

Oh Baby! Oh Baby!

The story at the Heron Rookery on Old Hickory Lake, just a short distance from where I live, goes something like this. First comes the nest building. Then there's the tending to the nest. The flying in and out bringing twigs and building up the nest. The flying in and out to drop an occasional bite to eat. Or just the occasional flying in and out for no reason.

After much ado about the making or tidying up of the nest, then comes the waiting game. Sitting on the nest. Standing by the nest. Waiting patiently for something to happen at the nest.

And finally, after many many weeks, the eggs hatch, the parents fly in and out and in and out feeding and tending to the little ones. To our amazement they grow like weeds and before too long, they are almost ready to fledge. Oh, and did I mention it's getting just a tad crowded in the nest too.

At long last, Dad is patiently waiting on the lawn for the fledging. This is the life. It's not just the life for Great Blue Herons either. It's the life for Black Crowned Night Herons, black Cormorants and Great White Egrets. All roosting together as a colony in one huge tree right on the waters edge. Yes, the rookery was a busy spot a few weeks ago when I visited. I didn't see any fledgings on the lawn, but perhaps there have been some since. Perhaps I will pay a visit soon. The weekend is coming and bringing much rain with it. Wherever you are, I wish for you bright sunshine, blue skies and fluffy white clouds. ENJOY!

Spring Mating

Standing a good distance away from the Heron Rookery yesterday, I couldn't quite make out a bird sitting on a nest high up in the tree. My binoculars were on the fritz which didn't help either. I did see several Great Blue Herons in various nests. And to my surprise, I saw one pair of Great White Egrets. I had only seen one or two Egrets so far this year and very intermittently. Now I know why. They have been busy breeding and now obviously were in the middle of a remodeling project.

When I finally dropped these images into my software, I discovered the illusive bird or birds, in this case, were a pair of Black Crowned Night Herons sitting on the nest. I wasn't sure where this species normally built their nests. I also wasn't sure if they nested near Great Blue Herons or Great White Egrets. Mystery solved. I believe this pair of smaller Herons set up shop in the past week as there was no evidence of them on my last visit. There also weren't any Egrets present. Busy rookery to say the least. Mating, breeding, nest building. Amazing.

It was simply a gorgeous day today, albeit the temps were in the high 70's, Thankfully, the humidity hasn't found its way to Tennessee as yet. A nice breeze was blowing. The sky was blue with the occasional white fluffy cloud. Great weather and beautiful birds busy with the task at hand. I can only hope when a few of these fledglings are ready to leave the nest, I can capture a few images. In the meantime, I hope you have a wonderful weekend. We have two full days of sunshine and warm temperatures ahead. Finally, a weekend with absolutely no rain. Miracles never cease. ENJOY!

Beautiful Great White Egrets

Have a Wonderful Weekend All. ENJOY!

Photographing Great White Egrets

As you surely know by now, I spent some time on the Eastern Shore of Virginia earlier in the Summer and while there I captured many, many images of large wading birds and shore birds at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. Here's a few varying poses of the Great White Egrets I took one afternoon as I drove along the main road which runs parallel to the lagoon. I was truly amazed to find so many of them at one time in one area. Obviously, the lagoon is a popular place to hunt for a meal.

There was a Great White Egret in the dried brush . . .

A Great White Egret in the lagoon . . .

A Great White Egret hiding in the bushes . . .

And a Great White Egret perched on a large downed tree. On this particular afternoon the sun was in full force, so many of the images didn't show quite as much detail in the feathers as I would like, but I was happy nonetheless with what I captured. ENJOY!