Herons and Egrets

American Bittern - Willband Creek Park, BC Some of the best camouflage I have ever seen comes on these very sneaky birds. The stripes on their chest very closely mimic the cattails they live in and they will keep their head up even while searching the water for their next meal. They will stand this way for what seems an eternity if they feel they are threatened. This was in the section of Willband Creek Ponds where the two ponds come together and a beaver has built a dam making the perfect hunting perch for this bird. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com 2022
American Bittern - Willband Creek Park, BC
Great Blue Heron - Brydon Lagoon, BC
Great Blue Heron - Brydon Lagoon, BC
Great Egret - Mermet Lake, IL This white long-legged wader was in search of a meal in the swamp just outside the dyke on Mermet Lake. Great egrets are very closely related to Great Blue Herons and not their smaller white counter parts like the Snowy and Cattle Egrets. It just so happens that they are all white. The name Egret is really a place holder for white wading birds rather than a family group. These birds were once highly prized for they're breeding plumage and hunted world wide. Michael W Klotz 2022 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Great Egret - Mermet Lake, IL
Green Heron - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, BC We don't get to see many of these small herons here in the Lower Mainland, but this year we were lucky and had a breeding pair at Reifel Bird Sanctuary. Reifel is probably the best birding spots here in Vancouver, however is it busy and sometimes can get a little noisy but this year they were shut down for a time due to, you guessed it, COVID-19. This might be the reason why this pair had a couple fledglings here. One of the highlights found at the sanctuary is the Sandhill Cranes that are here year round. Michael W Klotz 2020 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Green Heron - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, BC
Great Blue Heron - Vancouver, BC This VERY tame heron was chillin' on the side of the running path in Stanley Park before heading down to the water at Lost Lagoon for breakfast. He was very relaxed about the bikers and joggers moving past him within 5 feet. This is what happens when you you live in a city of a million people I suppose. This photo was taken during the Stanley Park Ecological Society walk where we talk about the birds that live in and around Stanley Park Vancouver. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Great Blue Heron - Vancouver, BC
American Bittern - Richmond, BC It is not very often you get to see an American Bittern in the open and even less common you get them within 30 feet of you. This wader was most likely pushed from the foreshore of Terra Nova Park in Richmond, BC by the cold and snow to an inner ditch with a south facing exposure and moving water. The cryptic coloration of these guys make them very difficult to spot, in fact, I had him down the ditch in my binoculars and walked right past him as he sat on the opposite bank. Thank you to John and Mel for the help in finding this heron. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
American Bittern - Richmond, BC
Snowy Egret - Breeding colors of the snowy egret a;long with the long airy feathers that are on the head and back make this one of the more spectacular displays for courtship. I was only able to capture the feet and dark yellow feet and the patch of skin that turns red at this time of the year. Egrets, especially the Snowys were almost hunted to extinction in the 1800's when their plumes fetched more than double the price of gold per ounce. These and the larger great egrets are doing just fine. This handsome bird was on the boardwalk at Bolsa Chica. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Snowy Egret - Huntington Beach, CA
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Great Blue Heron - Irvine, CA
Black-Crowned Night Heron - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, BC A resident group of Night Herons make their home at Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, BC. Usually they sleep all day, but every once in a while they will move into the sun and preen. The Juvenile birds are brown with a good deal of spots. Michael W Klotz 2021 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Black-crowned Night-Heron - Riefel Bird Sanctuary, BC
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Black-crowned Night-Heron - Bolsa Chica Wetlands, CA
Cattle Egret - Panorama Ridge, BC A wonderful surprise some time ago when this Cattle Egret showed up north of the Canadian border. My friend found this bird on our construction site checking the newly made ditches for worms in the winter. he became a bit of a celebrity but unfortunately didn't make the cold weather. These birds were not found in North America until 1953 when they migrated north from South America where they magically appeared in 1877. The are originally from Africa. Michael W Klotz 2021 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Cattle Egret - Panorama Ridge, BC