Reddish Egret watches for night

A reddish egret does a one-legged, wait-for-the-night-to-come, stance near Lacissine, LA. The highway night gathering spot for egrets and their friends is one of my favorite places.  Lucky that it happens to be just where I am often passing by as the dark eats up the sky. The assembling includes hundreds (maybe thousands) of Cattle Egrets, Ibis, Snowy Egrets, shore gulls, Blue Herons, Cormorants, an occasional Roseate Spoonbill and more.

It looks as though our solitary sentinel may have snagged a spiders web on his glide to his post.

Young egrets fight for food rights

Who to feed first?  Young egrets with hungry mouths present a real problem for mom.  "Settle down or nobody will get fed."  Yeah, right. That line doesn't work any better in the bird world that in the human domain.   This photo is from a set  shot at Audubon Park a few years ago. They were hidden on an old drive I had used in a while. I though I would do a few days series on them.

Egret shows mating signs

This is a photo from a few years ago.  Notice the green around the egret's eyes-- it appears when they are in mating.  Also notice the showy feathers -- another mating sign.  The photo is from the lagoon island in Audubon Park, New Orleans, LA

It's mom time now -- egret

Mom egret gets a few minutes for personal grooming while the chick is satisfied and not hungry for the moment.
You can just barely see the chick through the branches to the right of mom.  They get to spend a lot of
time together in these younger days.  This is old shot form a couple years ago in Audubon Park.

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Don't hit the road Jack!

What do you want to bet this is a family conversation going on with Mom and Dad trying to convince youngster it is not safe to leave home at such and early age?  The shot is in Audubon Park in New Orleans.
--steve buser

egret, New Orleans, Louisiana

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Pavement pounding in the park

Audubon Park is one of the urban oasis perfectly made for excercise. Located between historic St. Charles Avenue and the Misissippi River, the park offers plenty of space and scenery for the walker, jogger, biker etc. The scenery includes these Spanish moss draped oaks scatter about, the antique "street lights", bayou that is favored by huge herons and egrets and more.

--steve buser

Audubon Park, New Orleans, St. Charles Avenue, Mississippi River

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Time to get a bigger nest

I was wondering why this Great Egret kept picking at her side. It wasn't till I got back home and looked at the picture that I figured it out. She had a stick in her side. I guess I should do some schtick about that, but I have lived before n crowded quarters like that -- with all the children under feet (literally).
--steve buser

Great Egret, Audubon Park, NEw Orleans, Louisiana, birdsPowered by ScribeFire.

The great getaway

I was shooting away at my friend here when something spooked him, and he decided to relocate.

It's a shame, we had a lot in common. He can fly and I can dream about it. He is a Great Egret (Ardea Alba)with a wing span of about 5 to 6 feet -- just a wonder to watch glide across the water.
--steve buser

Great Egret, Ardea Alba, feathers, birds

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Latch key chicks

Three baby egrets  (actually I think there are four in the bundle of feathers, but you can only see three faces) waitfor mom and dad to get home with the groceries for today.  The shot is at the rookery -- Oschner Island -- at Audubon Park in New Orleans.

--steve buser

Egrets, chicks, babies, New Orleans, Louisiana, Audubon Park, birds

Hitchhiking the wind

If I were a bird, and I give my assurance that I am not. I think it would be my favorite daily pastime to climb to a height where I could catch the thermals. Then I would stretch out my wings and force the wind to hold me aloft. I wouldn't get tired doing it. I guess, though, that the wind would probably tire of it.

Just imagine. The wind beneath my wings.

--steve buser

wind, egrets, birds, nature, flying, feathers