Last week, my friends Dao and John were very excited when they spotted an elegant white bird at Duck Bay in the Arboretum. Lucky for me, John sent me a heads-up. I grabbed my camera and headed over. Thank you, both!
By the time I got there, the bird had flown out of sight, more than once. Thankfully, it also had returned and settled, at least for the moment, in a visible location.
At that distance involved, the bird seemed similar in size to a Great Blue Heron. The day before I had heard a report about a leucistic Great Blue Heron visiting Juanita Bay. So, the first question that came to my mind was, Could this be a leucistic Great Blue Heron or was it a Great Egret?
The first thing I checked were its legs. Great Egrets have black legs, Great Blue Herons do not. At that distance, the visible part of its legs looked white, but the lower legs were hidden by the lily pads.
When it flew I caught some in-flight photos, but I was too distracted to notice the color of the legs. Even if I had, it would have been hard to say if I was seeing dark legs or a coating of mud.
When it flew closer, the white feathers were stunning.
If it was a leucistic Great Blue Heron, I would have expected at least some feathers with color. For example, Click Here to see a photo of a young mostly white Great Blue Heron. I was leaning toward this bird being a Great Egret, but I wanted more confirmation.
As mentioned in the Sibley blog, via the link above, there is also a white-morph version of the Great Blue Heron that resides in southern Florida. However, it seemed highly unlikely that one of them might end up in the Pacific Northwest. Great Egrets, on the other hand, nest just south of Moses Lake in Washington.
There were other hints that we noticed. For example, John mentioned that the neck looked thinner than that of the nearby Great Blue Heron. I wasn't positive whether this difference was due to the two species being different or due to an age difference. I was thinking a younger bird might be full height but not yet have reached its full weight which might explain a narrow neck.
My previous experience with a Great Egret was in 2016 near the University Bridge. Frankly, I did not remember that bird well enough to know if this bird looked exactly the same or not, but in this view it obvious which bird looks heavier. To see more of the 2016 bird, Click Here.
As the 2024 bird moved closer a number of things caught my eye. The legs were definitely black. Plus, the feathers on the neck seemed ruffled and thin. I wondered if the bird might be in the process of growing new feathers.
These feathers look soft and downy like one might expect to see on a young bird.
I also noticed the greenish-yellow color of the lores and the eye ring. This I remembered as being very similar to the 2016 Great Egret. However, the feature that really caught my attention was the black tip contrasting with the yellow on the rest of the mandibles. That was new to me.
I also noticed it did not have any plumes on the back of its head like Great Blue Herons often do.
Soon I became distracted by watching it hunt for food...
...and its reflection in the water.
It was a real treat to see it up close.
I was lucky to notice it caught an insect.
But disappointed that it did not try to catch the insect when it fell.
Sadly, for me, it chose to fly a bit further away.
At the new location, it stopped to search the sky.
I don't remember seeing a Great Blue Heron look directly up into the air. Maybe it happens and I have missed it. Maybe this is the behavior of a curious young bird. or Perhaps, since pure white birds are exceptionally visible, they have to be especially vigilant about watching for airborne predators.
Soon it returned to hunting and caught a fish.
Moments later, it caught something larger.
I am pretty sure it caught an American Bullfrog tadpole. Locally, they are an invasive species so I was not disappointed to see one get caught.
I was surprised to see the bird drop the tadpole back in the water, especially without even trying to swallow it. You can see the splash, where the tadpole hit the water, to the left of the Egret's legs.
But I was very surprised when the Egret turned and walked away without trying to retrieve the tadpole. I have seen Great Blue Herons washing off their food, and occasionally, drop it, but I don't ever remember seeing a Heron casually walking away and just letting its prey escape.
Later, I found two interesting bits of information in Birds of the World. It said:
1) Non-breeding juveniles have yellow bills with blackish tips.
2) "Northward dispersal of juveniles occurs Jun-Oct, with peak numbers in Aug. and Sept."
After further review, I am very comfortable concluding this was a young Great Egret. It appeared to be out in the world exploring and learning to hunt. I am not at all certain why it let the tadpole go. On the whole, the egret was much more active than the average Great Blue Heron. So I do not think it was starving for food.
On the other hand, its neck did seem especially thin.
Plus, when the 2016 bird caught a good-sized fish...
...it swallowed it without a problem,
So, maybe this 2024 Egret was simply aware that the tadpole was too big to handle. I don't know. However, I do know I am very happy that it chose to visit Duck Bay on a day when my friends Dao and John were there to see it.
Have a great day on Union Bay...where nature lives in the city and Black Birders are welcome!
Larry
Going Native:
Each of us, who breathes the air, drinks water, and eats food should be helping to protect our environment. Local efforts are most effective and sustainable. Native plants and trees encourage the largest diversity of lifeforms because of their long intertwined history with our local environment and the local native creatures. Even the microbes in the soil are native to each local landscape.
I hope we can inspire ourselves, our neighbors, and local businesses to respect native flora and support native wildlife at every opportunity. I have learned that our most logical approach to native trees and plants (in order of priority) should be to:
1) Learn and leave established native flora undisturbed.2) Remove invasive species and then wait to see if native plants begin to grow without assistance. (When native plants start on their own, then these plants or trees are likely the most appropriate flora for the habitat.)3) Scatter seeds from nearby native plants in a similar habitat.4) If you feel you must add a new plant then select a native plant while considering how the plant fits with the specific habitat and understanding the plant's logical place in the normal succession of native plants.
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Keystone native plants are an important new idea. Douglas Tallamy, in the book "Nature's Best Hope ", explains that caterpillars supply more energy to birds, particularly young birds in their nests, than any other plant eater. He also mentions that 14% of our native plants, i.e. Keystone Plants, provide food for 90% of our caterpillars. This unique subset of native plants and trees enables critical moths, butterflies, and caterpillars that in turn provide food for the great majority of birds, especially during the breeding season.
Note: Flowering plants and trees, i.e. those pollinated by bees, are also included as Keystone Plants.
This video explains the native keystone plants very nicely:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5cXccWx030
The Top Keystone Genera in our ecoregion i.e. Plants and trees you might want in your yard:
Additional content available here:
https://wos.org/wos-wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Native-Plant-Resources-10-7-22.pdf
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In the area below, I am displaying at least one photo with each post to help challenge us to know the difference between native and non-native lifeforms.
A)
Is this a native frog?
B)
Is this a native frog?
Scroll down for the answer.
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The Bullfrog is native to the east of the Rocky Mountains. It is invasive in Washington State and will eat our much smaller native Pacific Tree Frog. Plus, it will consume basically any creature it can catch and swallow (including birds) according to the National Aquarium.
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The Email Challenge:
In response, I have set up my own email list. With each post, I will manually send out an announcement. If you would like to be added to my personal email list please send me an email requesting to be added. Something like:
Larry, Please add me to your personal email list.
My email address is:
LDHubbell@comcast.net
Thank you!
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The Comment Challenge:
Bottom Line:
If you write a long comment, please, copy it before hitting enter. Then, if the comment function fails to record your information, you can send the comment directly to me using email.
My email address is:
LDHubbell@comcast.net
Larry
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Recommended Citation
McCrimmon Jr., D. A., J. C. Ogden, G. T. Bancroft, A. MartÃnez-Vilalta, A. Motis, G. M. Kirwan, and P. F. D. Boesman (2020). Great Egret (Ardea alba), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.greegr.01
