Saturday afternoon we were on our way to East Shelby when we spotted upwards of two dozen egrets wading the Upper Stafford Marsh on the Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area. I regretted not having a camera along, but vowed to have one the next morning.
It was 9 a.m. today when we pulled into the overlook on Albion Road and, fortunately, the egrets were still there. There are 17 great egrets in the above photo, with several more outside of the lens angle.
I've not seen such a gathering of the large wading birds before, not even in South Florida. Whether they were stalking small fish, frogs or reptiles, I couldn't say but something to their liking must have been plentiful in the shallow marsh.
Normally, great blue herons are the largest wading birds in the marsh. While the blue heron is nearly identical in size to the great egret, on this day it was certainly in the minority.
Great photos as always!
Great photos as always! Thanks for contributing!
Thank you, Jason - glad you
Thank you, Jason - glad you enjoy them.
Jim, I'm not very experienced
Jim, I'm not very experienced when it comes to birds so when i saw one of these beautiful stark white birds alone among 2 dozen or so mallards along the Tonawanda Creek in Batavia a few weeks back it caught my eye. As im sure you know, along with the blue heron they remain perfectly still, for hours, stalking their prey. You'd think after a couple hundred years they would have found a better way to hunt. Anyway, he or she hasnt left and always stands out among anything else. Great photos.
Hi Ange - thanks, and hope to
Hi Ange - thanks, and hope to see you at the October bonfire! And speaking of October, the smallmouth and northern action should be picking up soon.....interested in a canoe ride?
Jim, i would love to. I
Jim, i would love to. I believe i have your email. I will contact you and we can plan something out. Maybe big brother Tony can join us. Take care, talk to you soon.
Hey Jim, thank you for your
Hey Jim, thank you for your photo/story contributions to the site. Your posts give me and everyone else the opportunity to enjoy what we normally don't have the time to get out and see. Stay safe afield and I look forward to more of your work.
Thanks Doug, glad you enjoy
Thanks Doug, glad you enjoy them!