Welcome to another installment in the series of posts about the Birds of New Jersey. Today I bring to you the Great Egret. If you were to ask me about my favorite bird it would be the egret, closely followed by the heron. There are many different egrets (and herons) and I find them all quite fascinating. My favorite egret would be the Great Egret, aka Great White Egret; few birds can match its grace, both on the ground and in the air. I can sit for long stretches of time doing nothing but watch an egret hunt for food.
I worked for six months in Union Beach, New Jersey and found a small park not too far from the office. I would go there on nice days if I wasn't walking along the Henry Hudson Trail (more on that another time.) There was a walkway that ran along the water and I often sat there watching the gulls and terns fly by or plunge into the water to catch fish. I had been there mostly around times of high tide but one day went when the tide was low. This exposed a stretch of sand and I noticed a great egret walking at the edge of the water looking for fish. I quickly found a source of tide information for the area and made a point of being at the park when low tide and lunch coincided. The image above was taken at this park during low tide.
This shot of the egret in flight was taken on a different day but same location. The tide was a bit higher that day and it was flying to a small marshy area a bit west of where I was standing. These photos were taken during the Summer of 2012, not too long before Superstorm Sandy blew through New Jersey. Union Beach was hit hard, as was much of the state, and I haven’t been back since. I know many of the businesses and homes in the area of the park were severely damaged or destroyed – I don’t know how well the beach area held up.
I literally have 100’s more great egret photos that I have shot over the years – many on Kodachrome – and I’m sure they will show up from time to time in other posts. I will never stop “hunting” these magnificent birds. I hope you enjoyed this installment of “The Birds of New Jersey” as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you. Stay tuned for more.
All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com
I worked for six months in Union Beach, New Jersey and found a small park not too far from the office. I would go there on nice days if I wasn't walking along the Henry Hudson Trail (more on that another time.) There was a walkway that ran along the water and I often sat there watching the gulls and terns fly by or plunge into the water to catch fish. I had been there mostly around times of high tide but one day went when the tide was low. This exposed a stretch of sand and I noticed a great egret walking at the edge of the water looking for fish. I quickly found a source of tide information for the area and made a point of being at the park when low tide and lunch coincided. The image above was taken at this park during low tide.
This shot of the egret in flight was taken on a different day but same location. The tide was a bit higher that day and it was flying to a small marshy area a bit west of where I was standing. These photos were taken during the Summer of 2012, not too long before Superstorm Sandy blew through New Jersey. Union Beach was hit hard, as was much of the state, and I haven’t been back since. I know many of the businesses and homes in the area of the park were severely damaged or destroyed – I don’t know how well the beach area held up.
I literally have 100’s more great egret photos that I have shot over the years – many on Kodachrome – and I’m sure they will show up from time to time in other posts. I will never stop “hunting” these magnificent birds. I hope you enjoyed this installment of “The Birds of New Jersey” as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you. Stay tuned for more.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for commenting!