Great Egret Trying To Survive A Harsh Winter

Great Egrets are unusual in my area but we occasionally get a few individuals in winter.  Unfortunately this bird chose to hang around during one of our harshest winters in years (the same winter as my recent “A Tough Winter On Northern Harriers” post) and the heron struggled to survive.  I don’t know if it succeeded.

These images have an apparent blue cast but in these conditions (foggy, low light) I believe that was what I saw so I didn’t mess with the white balance.

 

great egret 3474 ron dudley

 1/1000, f/8, ISO 400, Canon 40D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

We had a brief thaw in late December that opened up some of the water at Farmington Bay for fishing and this heron was trying to take advantage of the situation.  It stood on the edge of the ice like a statue and waited for a chance at a fish.

 

 

great egret 3486 ron dudley

  1/1000, f/8, ISO 400, Canon 40D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

 I only saw it make an attempt at a fish once and that attempt was unsuccessful.

 

 

great egret 3489 ron dudley

  1/1000, f/8, ISO 400, Canon 40D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

The heron would stand at the same spot for a while and when it didn’t produce any fish it would hop/fly a few feet down the edge of the ice and see if its luck improved at the new location.  It repeated this maneuver about a dozen times but never even made another attempt at a fish.

Life is tough for birds around here during harsh winters.

Ron

Note:  I’m on an extended camping/photo trip to Montana and internet access is intermittent at best so I won’t be able to respond to comments that may be posted (though I do get the comment emails on my phone when I have a signal and I enjoy reading them).   

 

11 Comments

  1. The fishing plunge is so lovely. I agree with the ‘fallen angel’ comment below.

  2. Jane Chesebrough

    I know we should not mess with nature but at times like this I would be tempted to buy a fish from the market. Amazing shot of the splash from the water.

  3. Patty Chadwick

    I hope with all my heart that beautiful creature survived…life can be so harsh, so precious, so fragile, so cruel…

  4. That second image is INCREDIBLE. Beautiful – and heart breaking.

  5. Patty Chadwick

    All three are beautiful images, but the second is remarkable! Never saw anything like it…looks like a fallen angel might look….I hope the trip is going well and is all, and more, of what you had wished it to be

  6. holy catfish, batman … these are AWESOME!!!!!!!!

  7. Nice set of photos. Thank you. Looking forward to seeing photos from your trip.

  8. The second shot is amazing. I’ve never seen an egret get so immersed while fishing. I hope this bird made it through the winter. It’s heartbreaking to see them struggle that way.

  9. Jorge H. Oliveira

    Beautiful photographs. The second is fantastic. And I’m wondering how does he do to avoid getting frozen after that dive.

  10. Love these photos. Such a beautiful bird. I hope it made it through the winter. Enjoy your trip.

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