The great egret is the icon of the lake. If I were to devise a glyph, it would be of a great egret hunting: long neck at a 45-degree angle to the water, and the line running through the body, from shoulder to tail, is parallel to the neck, another 45-degree angle to the water. The lines along the neck and the body are parallel, at least in my glyph. That’s what it’s like, the great egret hunting.
When the great egret is resting, or doing something else, its body is more upright, and the long neck is folded against the chest.
The greats are the most noticeable bird on the lake because of their size, color and numbers. They stand 3.5 feet tall and have a wingspan of more than 5 feet, meaning they are just slightly smaller than the great blue heron. The great egret is white. He stands out against the green banks of the lake and creek.
Great egrets are more common than the great blues. I used to see one to three great blues each day, but not always. This year, I’ve seen them rarely. I always see great egrets, usually at least six.
Three species of egrets are common on the lake: great egrets, snowy egrets and cattle egrets. The first distinguishing trait is size. The great dwarfs the cattle egret, which stands 18 inches to 2 feet tall and has a wingspan of 3 feet. The snowy egret is midsize.
The second distinguishing trait is the color of the bill. It’s yellow for the great egret, and black for the cattle egret. The snowy egret is again in between. He has a black bill but a yellow lore — the area between the bill and the eye.
The third distinguishing trait is leg color: black for the great, and yellow for the cattle egret. The snowy egret, always in between, has black legs with yellow feet. Birders call them “golden slippers.”
The snowy egret’s most striking feature is its aigrettes, the showy plumes streaming from its head and neck.
All three of these beautiful birds were on the lake this morning.
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