I photographed this great egret back in late February during one of my last seasonal visits to a place where I photograph migratory birds every winter. This bird, like so many egrets I see out there, was hunting on its own, moving methodically and slowly toward its prey. If you did not realize what the bird was doing you might not understand its behavior, but once you do the purpose of its focused attention becomes clear.
The egrets appear to be carnivores, eating just about any small critter that they can corner and capture. While the hunt seems to happen in slow motion, the actual attack is quick and decisive. Then the bird settles in to swallow the prey — which sometimes can be quite a struggle. I once watched an egret holding a rather large rodent in its bill for over 15 minutes as it tried to swallow the thing whole. I thought it would never manage, but eventually it swallowed the thing whole.
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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email
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