Soaring Great Egret
On one of our recent trips to this rookery we saw the male egret flying in with sticks. He would land in the tree, right next to his mate, and pass it on from beak to beak. It must take an awfully long time to painstakingly search for nest material stick by stick. After observing this ritual we gained a renewed respect for this majestic bird. We keep going back in hopes of seeing the new hatchlings.
The male Great Egret selects a nesting site at the top of a tree. He builds a nest of sticks before he displays to select a mate. It is an amazing sight to see an egret carry the sticks needed for his nest! The nest is built in a communal “rookery” tree. It is not unusual to see other water birds nesting in the same tree. The nest is up to 3 feet across and 1 foot deep. It is lined with pliable plant material that dries to form a cup structure. They don’t typically reuse nests from year to year.
Soaring Great Egret
On one of our recent trips to this rookery we saw the male egret flying in with sticks. He would land in the tree, right next to his mate, and pass it on from beak to beak. It must take an awfully long time to painstakingly search for nest material stick by stick. After observing this ritual we gained a renewed respect for this majestic bird. We keep going back in hopes of seeing the new hatchlings.
The male Great Egret selects a nesting site at the top of a tree. He builds a nest of sticks before he displays to select a mate. It is an amazing sight to see an egret carry the sticks needed for his nest! The nest is built in a communal “rookery” tree. It is not unusual to see other water birds nesting in the same tree. The nest is up to 3 feet across and 1 foot deep. It is lined with pliable plant material that dries to form a cup structure. They don’t typically reuse nests from year to year.