One of the benefits of having so much water around is regularly seeing waterbirds that had virtually disappeared from our district over the past ten years. Yesterday from a distance I spotted three snowy-white shapes along the shoreline of Cairn Curran Reservoir, just north of where the old highway crosses. They turned out to be Great Egrets Ardea alba, fishing in the shallows. This elegant and beautiful bird is usually solitary but occasionally seen in small parties in this part of the world.
Great Egret, Cairn Curran Reservoir, 4th August 2011
Watching this species hunt for fish is a real treat – I managed to catch this one using its wings as an umbrella as it made a lightning thrust with its beak in a successful feeding attempt.
Great Egret fishing, Cairn Curran Reservoir, 4th July 2011
Outside the breeding season Great Egrets have yellow bills, like their relative the Intermediate Egret, the latter developing an orange bill and prominent plumes on the back and breast when breeding.
Great Egret in reflective pose!
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