Great Egret standing over a few very small chicks. Taken as the sun came up over the rookery.
Best viewed Large.

This year I have not photographed many Egret dances. Here I did manage to capture one performing the classic ‘dip and stretch’ move.
View large to see the incredible feather details.
These birds have already paired with a mate so this must be ‘a happy dance’.
There is one spot near my home, in a local swamp, that I can find these little beauties. Most times all I get is flash of brilliant yellow. This time a few were around and Ellen was there. She always draws in the ‘little birds’.
These warblers winter in the West Indies, Central America and northern South America, primarily in Mangrove Swamps. They come north to breed and love the deep swamps around me with Cypress Knees (roots).
Ellen will find plenty of these birds in the Four Hole Swamp area (out in the rain right now), me I take the easy way and stick close to home.
Everything else stops when you spot a Reddish Egret on the hunt. Catch one at dawn in the early light…hard not to do the happy dance. This is a bird you need to go find, they rarely show up on the average walk, no matter where you are.
This Egret was spotted a bit after dawn in a salt marsh, that’s their only habitat.
Because there is always sun glare on the water hiding their prey the dance is a series of moves to find fish.
First a Reddish will run through shallows, splashing water and driving fish ahead.
At the end the Egret will raise his wings to throw a shadow on the water. This makes for clear visibility.
You know this is a great show when photographers walk away from Roseate Spoonbills to watch the dancing Egret.