A great egret (Ardea alba) returning to its nest with a twig to be added to the structure.
A great egret (Ardea alba) passes over water reflecting the colors of shoreline vegetation.
A great egret returning to its nest with a twig.
Great Egrets
A great egret (Ardea alba) presenting a twig to its mate upon returning to its nest as a chick looks on. This behavior serves to strengthen their bond and though the twig will be worked into the structure of the nest, the behavior persist long past initial nest building.
A pair of great egrets (Ardea alba) exchanging a twig. This ritualized behavior strengthens the pair bond and adds material to the nest.
A pair of great egrets at their nest.
A great egret (Ardea alba) stalking in shallow water and emergent aquatic vegetation for frogs, fish, snakes, etc.
Clam dark waters reflect the image of a great egret and pickerel weed in this scene from the Georgia Coastal Plain.
A great egret (Ardea alba) searching for food. A fallen live oak provides it footing among cattail plants.
A great egret (Ardea alba) in flight.
A great egret (Ardea alba) in flight, long plumes which appear in breeding plumage trailing behind.
A back lit great egret in flight.
Great egrets in a territorial dispute.
A wetland scene with a great egret (Ardea alba) and American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) before the skeletal remains of a live oak tree.
A great egret (Ardea alba) just before touch down. Sunlight from an oblique angle illuminates the wing feathers.
The egret on the left has moved aggressively toward the one on the right which is vigorously yielding.
A great egret (Ardea alba) yields to the aggessive advances of another. In this case, the offending egert ventured too close to the nest of the aggressor.
Great egrets (Ardea alba) share the scene with pickerel weed (Pontederia cordata ?) in a coastal Georgia pond.
A great egret (Ardea alba) with wings and tail feathers flared to slow momentum just before touchdown.
A great egret (Ardea alba) taking a break from nest tending to preen its plumes.
The usual result of conflict - confrontation and then each goes its separate way. Also in the foreground is a wood stork with chicks and further back a pair of young anhingas.
A great egret created a splash when it attempted to spear a fish.
A great egret in low flight over a pond where great and snowy egrets had congregated to feed.
A great egret (Ardea alba) bearing a twig for its under construction nest. The smooth water surface reflects trees and the flying egret.
A low flying great egret cast a reflection among the reflections of colorful spring leaves of shoreline vegetation.
A great egret returning to its nest with additional building material. These egrets make hundreds of flights collecting twigs for their nests over the course of the nesting season.
A great egret isolated by glare on the surface of the water compose this image.
Great egrets taking to the air in a conflict over nesting territory.
