Great Egret in Flight

Great Egret in breeding plumage, Ardea alba, Mission River Preserve. I never tire of looking at these stunningly beautiful birds. I particularly liked how the sun shone through the wings. When they are breeding, the straight plumes on the back of the egret extend down past the tail (you can see them streaming out back of the bird here).

Bird trivia. How do you tell a great egret from a snowy egret? Of course, a great egret is much bigger at around 38 inches in height versus 20-27 inches for a snowy egret. However, in a photo without a size reference, you can easily tell by the color of the beak and feet. Great egrets have yellow beaks and black feet. Snowy egrets have black beaks and yellow feet (and fluffy plumes on the head for mature birds).

Great Egret

Great Egret, Ardea alba, Mission River Preserve, San Diego, California. These large birds are generally a little shy and will take to wing if you get within a hundred feet or so. They are fun to watch, however, as they stalk through the shallows looking for fish and crustaceans.

Great Egret

Great Egret, Ardea alba, taking wing at the Mission River Sanctuary. The Great Egrets are beautiful, graceful birds but they are a little photo shy and normally don't let you get close enough for a really great picture, even with the big, big lens!

Ducks Ducked Out

I went down to the Mission River Preserve to visit the ducks over the weekend. However, the ducks had all ducked out. They had migrated back up North to take advantage of the Spring bounty. Of course, they'll be back next winter. In the meantime, here's a picture of a Great Egret, Ardea alba, that was out enjoying his new found peace and quiet.