Arial Combat, Great Egret

Arial Combat, Great Egret

Great Egrets are nothing like the bigger Great Blue Herons. The Herons are fairly calm, solid citizens of the swamps. Egrets are constant chaos, and not always a good kind.

These images are a typical confrontation between Egrets. The title ‘Arial Combat’ fits them well.

Arial Combat, Great Egret
Arial Combat, Great Egret

In claiming territory anything goes. The long sharp claws are dangerous weapons.

Arial Combat, Great Egret
Arial Combat, Great Egret

How an Egret chooses who to attack is a mystery. A bird can be sitting quiet and then suddenly mayhem flies in.

Arial Combat, Great Egret
Arial Combat, Great Egret

The aggressive bird has the advantage and most times the target quickly leaves, unless it is their nest.

Arial Combat, Great Egret
Arial Combat, Great Egret

In the air both birds are so agile they frequently dodge and miss each other completely.

Arial Combat, Great Egret
Arial Combat, Great Egret

The images above exhibit an in air circling, neither bird making contact.

One chases the other and in short order lands back where he started.

However… it’s only a matter of time until the aggressor is another birds target. It starts all over again.

This continues each afternoon until the eggs hatch. After that they are much too busy protecting their small nest and hunting food.

 

2 thoughts on “Arial Combat, Great Egret”

    1. Thanks. If you like large birds in flight you found the right site. We have 5,000 + pages here, 100’s of flight images. A few days ago we published an Osprey and Eagle in ‘Arial Combat’.
      Please stop by again, and thank you for visiting.

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