Spotted this Great Egret on the edge of a dike, actually almost on top of an old wooden trunk.
Directly below the bird is the edge of a salt marsh. It’s tidal so at low tide all types of edible critters are in the mud. The dike is a perfect place to look around below.
Egret On A Dike
The Ocean is probably 15+ miles away but the tide still works this far inland.
That’s why this is called the Lowcountry, we are low…like sea level low.
I shot this trying to make the Great Egret stand out against the dark background. Not my usual swamp/marsh scene.
Under Massive Live Oaks
After looking at the shots I realized just how big the trunk and roots of this old Oak were.
Typical open-grown trees reach 20 meters (65.5 feet) in height, with a limb spread of nearly 27 meters (88.5 feet). Their lower limbs often sweep down towards the ground before curving up again.
These are slow growing trees but easily live several hundreds years,
The first photograph in this series is when the Great Blue spotted a Great Egret landing in what he considers to be his fishing territory
This Is My Spot, Heron vs Egret
Great Blues are very protective of their territory.
This Is My Spot, Heron vs EgretThis Is My Spot, Heron vs Egret
He immediately moved over to the Egret.
This Is My Spot, Heron vs Egret
As soon as he was close to the Egret he struck out. Enlarge the above image and you will see the Herons head between the Egrets wings, he missed but was close.
This Is My Spot, Heron vs Egret
The Egret was smart to move on.
This Is My Spot, Heron vs Egret
During nesting season these two will have monumental battles. Egrets are usually no match but at a nest site they are the more aggressive and can be deadly.
Both these birds are top of the food chain predators so this is normal behavior.