Fishing Great Egret

Nature Journal August 18, 2017...

Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 66341876 - Great Egret; Walton County, Georgia. August 18, 2017. ©williamwisephoto.com

Friday, 9:16 AM - Hot, hot, hot and humid. Each day has been a replay of the last: highs around 90°, humidity through the roof. This has been a pretty stressful work week, but thank God it is Friday! I grabbed my wildlife lens and took a quick walk up to the water retention ponds in the rising sun. A Great Egret was fishing on the main pond. Perhaps this is the same bird I shot back on August 10 and 11 on the upper pond? It is not at all skittish and I walked the perimeter of the pond with him. Even approaching within 40 feet, he still kept to his business of spearing small fish and snapping up dragon flies.

Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 66341876 - Great Egret; Walton County, Georgia. August 18, 2017. ©williamwisephoto.com

It was fun to watch as some small prey would catch his eye. He would stiffen up, but shuffle his neck back and forth in a serpent-like fashion. If the critter was in range, he’d strike. We walked the entire back side of the pond together. As he turned the corner at the far end, the sun was no longer hitting him from the right direction so I went back to my office to get to work. ​

August 18, 2017; Walton County, Georgia

• Mostly Sunny, high near 91°
• Heat index as high as 99°
• Sunrise 6:57 AM; Sunset 8:16 PM
• Day length 13 hours 18 minutes

Posted on August 18, 2024 11:50 AM by williamwisephoto