August 24, 2011

Is this an egret?

Hanging out on a boat hull.
I've never seen this variety of bird before today. I guess it's an egret. We get a few herons each year and at first I thought this might be a white heron. But it's bigger and quite different. As far as I know, this bird is not a regular visitor to upstate New York.

Its strangely graceful but its body form seems so alien. When it stretches and elongates itself, it is totally weird. I couldn't take my eyes off it. I apologize for the distant view. I didn't want to scare it off.

Since I haven't seen an egret in the 17 years that I've lived here, I assume the bird's visit is a result of climate change. Its species must be moving northward. Makes sense at the tail end of such a hot summer.

Tell me, world. Is it an egret?

3 comments:

Casey Shain said...

Hi Keith,
Yes, it's an egret. Hard to tell the size, but if it was tall, it's probably a Great Egret. If it was a bit smaller and had a bit of a fluff on the neck near the head, it's probably a Snowy Egret. We have them on the Connecticut shoreline. I wouldn't be surprised they've made their way to upstae New York (That's where you are, right?) And yes, they're probably on the move at this time of year. Gorgeous creatures. I love spotting them.

writenow said...

Ah, the Great Egret. It was very tall. Another thing was that it wasn't as wary as a heron. If you so much as part a curtain, herons fly away. This one didn't react. I wish I saw it fly. Must have quite a wingspan. Herons look like pterodactyls when they fly, and this was bigger.

Hey, I'm friends with a skunk now, too. There are so many great animals out there.

Good to see a comment from you, Casey. Yes, upstate NY. It already feels like autumn at night here. It's great.

geertz said...

Pretty picture