The great egret makes for exciting sighting

A great egret forages for food. Note the dark black legs that make identification easy.
A white great blue heron would have yellow legs. (Bill Danielson)

By Bill Danielson Special To The Times Union
Published: 12:00 a.m., Sunday, October 10, 2010

During the school year, I am trapped inside during the most productive birding hours of the day. As the days get shorter and shorter, there is less of a chance for me to do any birding at all. Mornings don't offer much, but autumn afternoons can sometimes produce some good sightings and tend to keep my eyes peeled for anything interesting while I'm in the car.

For instance, consider my drive home last week. I had made it all the way back to the Watervliet Reservoir without much interesting to report, when all of a sudden I saw something quite exciting. I saw a ghostly figure standing among the withering water chestnuts. It was a great egret and it was a great sighting!

Anyone familiar with the great blue heron (Ardea herodias) will immediately notice a similarity between herons and egrets. In fact, the great blue heron has a rare all-white form that looks almost identical to a great egret, except for one important difference. Great blue herons have yellow legs, whereas great egrets have black legs. Since the bird I saw had black legs, I knew this was an egret on walkabout.

The great egret has had a long and interesting history with its scientific name. Twenty-five years ago, the great egret was known as Casmerodius albus. "Casmerodius" was a combination of the Greek word "kasis," meaning "brother or sister" (a relative), and the Greek word "herodios," or "heron." The word "albus" is simply Latin for "white." Translated, the name would be something like, "the white brother of the herons."

According to the Dictionary of American Bird Names, by Ernest A. Chohate, a German ornithologist by the name of Constantin Gloger may have intended the genus name to be "Cosmerodius" with an "o." There is a Greek word "kosmos," one of the meanings of which is "decoration." Had this been the actual root of the name, the translation would be something like, "the white, decorated heron." Given the opulence of the egret's feathers during the breeding season, it is not too hard to imagine that this may have been the true intention of Gloger.

Today, the great egret's scientific name is Ardea albus. The word "ardea" is Latin for "heron," so the translation of the newest name is simply "the white heron." This name also suggests that the great egret is a close relative of its very similar cousin, the great blue heron.

Great egrets, like the other species in the heron family, are bedecked in glorious nuptial plumage in the height of the breeding season. So fantastically gorgeous are these delicate, lacy feathers that they were once highly prized as decorations for hats and clothing. The millinery had a catastrophic impact on bird populations, because the feathers could only be harvested by killing breeding birds.

The great egret seems to be a species born with wanderlust. Its breeding range extends from the Gulf of Mexico up the basin of the Mississippi River to Michigan. There is then a very thin arm that hugs the coast of the eastern United States as far north as Long Island. Clearly, the great egret is a bird dependent upon water for its living.

While the breeding range of the great egret is rather narrowly confined, the range over which it can be found is immense. Draw a line from the middle of Texas, up to the Great Lakes, and then east to Nova Scotia. Non-breeding birds, it seems, like to explore.

Late summer and early autumn seem to be the times when these rather exotic-looking nomads turn up in the strangest places, and I was happy to see that one had found its way so close to my home. Anyone who travels by train from Albany to New York is likely to see increasing numbers of these birds as the train moves south. The Hudson is a natural conduit for the movements of such coastal birds.

Keep your eyes peeled for great blue herons, great egrets and any other interesting birds in the next couple of weeks. As soon as temperatures fall and we have our first frost, most of these birds will probably clear out, but you never know.

Sometimes stubborn adults or inexperienced immature birds will stay far longer than seems wise.

Cold weather won't really chase them away until ice starts to prevent them from hunting, and in the meantime they can offer exciting sightings for any birders desperate for a glimpse of nature on the way home from work.

Bill Danielson is a freelance writer living in Altamont. Send your questions about the natural world to him at billd@speakingofnature.com.

http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/The-great-egret-makes-for-exciting-sighting-695916.php

The great egret makes for exciting sighting

A great egret forages for food. Note the dark black legs that make identification easy.
A white great blue heron would have yellow legs. (Bill Danielson)

By Bill Danielson Special To The Times Union
Published: 12:00 a.m., Sunday, October 10, 2010

During the school year, I am trapped inside during the most productive birding hours of the day. As the days get shorter and shorter, there is less of a chance for me to do any birding at all. Mornings don't offer much, but autumn afternoons can sometimes produce some good sightings and tend to keep my eyes peeled for anything interesting while I'm in the car.

For instance, consider my drive home last week. I had made it all the way back to the Watervliet Reservoir without much interesting to report, when all of a sudden I saw something quite exciting. I saw a ghostly figure standing among the withering water chestnuts. It was a great egret and it was a great sighting!

Anyone familiar with the great blue heron (Ardea herodias) will immediately notice a similarity between herons and egrets. In fact, the great blue heron has a rare all-white form that looks almost identical to a great egret, except for one important difference. Great blue herons have yellow legs, whereas great egrets have black legs. Since the bird I saw had black legs, I knew this was an egret on walkabout.

The great egret has had a long and interesting history with its scientific name. Twenty-five years ago, the great egret was known as Casmerodius albus. "Casmerodius" was a combination of the Greek word "kasis," meaning "brother or sister" (a relative), and the Greek word "herodios," or "heron." The word "albus" is simply Latin for "white." Translated, the name would be something like, "the white brother of the herons."

According to the Dictionary of American Bird Names, by Ernest A. Chohate, a German ornithologist by the name of Constantin Gloger may have intended the genus name to be "Cosmerodius" with an "o." There is a Greek word "kosmos," one of the meanings of which is "decoration." Had this been the actual root of the name, the translation would be something like, "the white, decorated heron." Given the opulence of the egret's feathers during the breeding season, it is not too hard to imagine that this may have been the true intention of Gloger.

Today, the great egret's scientific name is Ardea albus. The word "ardea" is Latin for "heron," so the translation of the newest name is simply "the white heron." This name also suggests that the great egret is a close relative of its very similar cousin, the great blue heron.

Great egrets, like the other species in the heron family, are bedecked in glorious nuptial plumage in the height of the breeding season. So fantastically gorgeous are these delicate, lacy feathers that they were once highly prized as decorations for hats and clothing. The millinery had a catastrophic impact on bird populations, because the feathers could only be harvested by killing breeding birds.

The great egret seems to be a species born with wanderlust. Its breeding range extends from the Gulf of Mexico up the basin of the Mississippi River to Michigan. There is then a very thin arm that hugs the coast of the eastern United States as far north as Long Island. Clearly, the great egret is a bird dependent upon water for its living.

While the breeding range of the great egret is rather narrowly confined, the range over which it can be found is immense. Draw a line from the middle of Texas, up to the Great Lakes, and then east to Nova Scotia. Non-breeding birds, it seems, like to explore.

Late summer and early autumn seem to be the times when these rather exotic-looking nomads turn up in the strangest places, and I was happy to see that one had found its way so close to my home. Anyone who travels by train from Albany to New York is likely to see increasing numbers of these birds as the train moves south. The Hudson is a natural conduit for the movements of such coastal birds.

Keep your eyes peeled for great blue herons, great egrets and any other interesting birds in the next couple of weeks. As soon as temperatures fall and we have our first frost, most of these birds will probably clear out, but you never know.

Sometimes stubborn adults or inexperienced immature birds will stay far longer than seems wise.

Cold weather won't really chase them away until ice starts to prevent them from hunting, and in the meantime they can offer exciting sightings for any birders desperate for a glimpse of nature on the way home from work.

Bill Danielson is a freelance writer living in Altamont. Send your questions about the natural world to him at billd@speakingofnature.com.

http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/The-great-egret-makes-for-exciting-sighting-695916.php

Egrets shot to safeguard flights

Thursday, September 30, 2010
By Star-Advertiser staff

HILO » The U.S. Department of Agriculture says about 80 cattle egrets were shot and killed in Keaukaha to protect planes at nearby Hilo Airport.

The department's state director of wildlife services, Mike Pitzler, said the birds were shot Monday from a boat on Lokoaka Pond.

Pitzler said officials don't want a "miracle on the Hudson River" happening on the Big Island, in reference to a US Airways plane that splashed down in the river in New York last year after a flock of geese disabled the jet.

The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported that it received many calls from people who complained about the noise from the shotgun blasts and about the birds being killed.

http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/newswatch/20100930_Newswatch.html
(Submitted by Sally Tully-Figueroa)

Egrets shot to safeguard flights

Thursday, September 30, 2010
By Star-Advertiser staff

HILO » The U.S. Department of Agriculture says about 80 cattle egrets were shot and killed in Keaukaha to protect planes at nearby Hilo Airport.

The department's state director of wildlife services, Mike Pitzler, said the birds were shot Monday from a boat on Lokoaka Pond.

Pitzler said officials don't want a "miracle on the Hudson River" happening on the Big Island, in reference to a US Airways plane that splashed down in the river in New York last year after a flock of geese disabled the jet.

The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported that it received many calls from people who complained about the noise from the shotgun blasts and about the birds being killed.

http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/newswatch/20100930_Newswatch.html
(Submitted by Sally Tully-Figueroa)

Rare sighting of egret near Inverness

The little egret was photographed by a whale and dolphin society field officer

27 September 2010

A rare sighting of a little egret has been made at Inverness' Merkinch local nature reserve.

The white heron was photographed by Charlie Phillips, a Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society field officer.

Little egret first appeared in the UK in significant numbers in 1989 from colonies expanding from France and first bred in Dorset in 1996.

RSPB Scotland said only one or two sightings of the bird were made in the Highlands each year.

A spokesman said: "They may become a more familiar sight in the future if they continue to spread."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-11417683

Rare sighting of egret near Inverness

The little egret was photographed by a whale and dolphin society field officer

27 September 2010

A rare sighting of a little egret has been made at Inverness' Merkinch local nature reserve.

The white heron was photographed by Charlie Phillips, a Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society field officer.

Little egret first appeared in the UK in significant numbers in 1989 from colonies expanding from France and first bred in Dorset in 1996.

RSPB Scotland said only one or two sightings of the bird were made in the Highlands each year.

A spokesman said: "They may become a more familiar sight in the future if they continue to spread."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-11417683

Little Egret Chicks at Wildwood

Little Egrets have successfully hatched chicks at Wildwood Kents award winning woodland discovery park, this is further proof of the effects of global warming on Britains climate, warming it enough so that these birds can breed effectively. Wildwood is the first carbon zero zoo in the UK using a 20kw wind turbine, solar thermal and Photovoltaics to run the park ensuring that the Little Egrets upkeep within the park is does not contrivbute to global climate change.

The Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) is a small white heron with plumes on its head and chest which frequents marshes and shallow fresh and coastal waters, over the last few years has made its home on British shores.

Unfortunately the plumes of the Little Egret and other egrets were in demand for decorating hats in Europe. They had been used for this purpose since at least the 17th century but in the 19th century it became a major craze and the number of egret skins passing through dealers reached into the millions.

Hunting had reduced the population of the species to dangerously low levels (concern about this stimulated the establishment of Britain's RSPB in 1889). Now conservation laws protect this species, and the population has rebounded strongly in their traditional haunts but they are now successfully breeding in the wild in the UK too.

Photo: Phil Houghton

Peter Smith, Wildwood Trust's Chief Executive said:

"The Little Egret is another example of a creature brought almost to extinction by man yet we have been able to conserve and build the populations by proper conservation and the birth of these chicks demonstrates that the Wildwood Trust, as a charity, is committed to restoring our native and once native species".

Little Egrets are just some of the huge range of British animals and birds that can be seen at the Wildwood Discovery Park near Canterbury. For more information visit our website at www.wildwoodtrust.org or telephone 0871 7820081.

Wildwood's 'Wildlife Conservation Park' is an ideal day out for all the family where you can come 'nose to nose' with British Wildlife. Wildwood offers its members and visitors a truly inspirational way to learn about the natural history of Britain by actually seeing the wildlife that once lived here, like the wolf, beaver, red squirrel, wild boar and many more.

Wildwood is situated close to Canterbury, just off the A291 between Herne Bay and Canterbury.

Photo: Lol Beacham

More Information about Little Egret

The adult Little Egret is 55-65 cm long with an 88-106 cm wingspan. It weighs 350-550 grams. Its plumage is all white. It has long black legs with yellow feet and a slim black bill. In the breeding season, the adult has two long nape plumes and gauzy plumes on the back and breast. The bare skin between the bill and eyes becomes red or blue. Juveniles are similar to non-breeding adults but have duller legs and feet.

Little Egrets are mostly silent but make various croaking and bubbling calls at their breeding colonies and produce a harsh alarm call when disturbed.

The Little Egret nests in colonies, often with other wading birds, usually on platforms of sticks in trees, shrubs, reed beds or bamboo groves. In some locations such as the Cape Verde Islands, the species nests on cliffs. Pairs defend a small breeding territory, usually extending around 3-4 m from the nest. The three to five eggs are incubated by both adults for 21-25 days to hatching. They are oval in shape and have a pale, non-glossy, blue-green colour. The young birds are covered in white down feathers, are cared for by both parents and fledge after 40 to 45 days.

Little Egrets stalk their prey in shallow water, often running with raised wings or shuffling their feet. They also stand still and wait to ambush prey. It eats a variety of small animals including fish, amphibians, crustaceans, and insects.