Another beauty from beyond the bounds of southwestern Pennsylvania, this photo by Chuck Tague is one of my favorite pictures of all time.
Great egrets are unusual in the Pittsburgh area. We see three to six per year during migration and I have never, ever seen one do this but Chuck spends his winters in Florida and has more opportunities than I do.
Chuck tells me this wingspread pose is a fishing strategy. To me it is angelic.
(photo by Chuck Tague)
I am curious about the wingspread pose being a fishing strategy. Do you think it is to create shadows?
I’ve read that this action scares the fish. I believe the real purpose is to make the fish move and reveal their location.
The egret looks like he’s conducting a symphony.
If you like Great Egrets you should visit San Francisco. We have them everywhere! I’m always amused when I visit man-made streams in planned subdivision because they frequently contain Great Egrets. We also have tons of lovely Snowy Egrets too.
Kate,
Coming off of your recent “feather lectures” as it were, I must ask what are the irregular tufts of feathers on the leading edge of the egret’s wings (near the wrist, as it were)?
These are the alula feathers. See my Dec 11th post.