Wait a minute, who is the ugly duckling is this group of all white herons?
It's the slight larger but close relative, the Great Blue Heron, which also has a white morph in some areas of the world (e.g., Florida). Like the GBH, the Great Egret is found world-wide, and seems to tolerate urban life well because it can be found in lakes and marshes near residential areas.
They are so interesting to watch while they hunt, quickly stretching out their snake-like neck to stab with that long beak at fish, frogs, or whatever else is swimming around down there.
The sun was in just the right position for hunting on this morning, but in mid-day, I've seen them spread their wings like an umbrella around their head and neck to cast a shadow so they can see what is in the water below them better.
When they have exhausted this food supply, they will move on to other lake shallows, building up their fat reserves to leave Minnesota as the temperatures drop and the lakes freeze here.
Interesting note: This species was once hunted almost to extinction back in the 1800s and early 1900s, when fancy bird plumes on ladies hats were stylish.
Another relative seen less frequently in the shallows is the Green Heron. I was lucky to sneak up on this bird this summer and use the highest magnification of my telephoto to get this picture. Green Herons are really secretive and fly away at the slightest disturbance. In fact, they seem to be more nocturnal than diurnal, so this mid-day sighting is a rare one. Perhaps it was foraging for its chicks. Green Herons also have a trick to help them catch fish and frogs -- they drop small sticks or even parts of insects to attract fish to the surface and then grab them with their sharp beak.
When they have exhausted this food supply, they will move on to other lake shallows, building up their fat reserves to leave Minnesota as the temperatures drop and the lakes freeze here.
Interesting note: This species was once hunted almost to extinction back in the 1800s and early 1900s, when fancy bird plumes on ladies hats were stylish.
Another relative seen less frequently in the shallows is the Green Heron. I was lucky to sneak up on this bird this summer and use the highest magnification of my telephoto to get this picture. Green Herons are really secretive and fly away at the slightest disturbance. In fact, they seem to be more nocturnal than diurnal, so this mid-day sighting is a rare one. Perhaps it was foraging for its chicks. Green Herons also have a trick to help them catch fish and frogs -- they drop small sticks or even parts of insects to attract fish to the surface and then grab them with their sharp beak.
That's not grass the bird is standing on. This lake was so shallow and still that the water was completely overgrown with green algae. You wouldn't think that would be a great place for fish to live.
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