The Reddish Egret is a “conspicuously long-legged, long-necked wader of coastal regions, more tied to salt water than any of our other herons or egrets.” (Audubon). The one seen above was spotted quietly foraging on a recent morning in a secluded pond on the Gulf coast of Florida.
I was so delighted to stumble upon the egret that I couldn’t resist following his movements for quite some time, from my vantage point along the water’s edge. His initial reaction to other wading birds was to chase them away in defense of his territory, but he later relented and decided to share his quiet little pool.
According to the Florida Wildlife Commission, “The reddish egret is the rarest egret species found in North America.” This striking bird was nearly decimated by the illegal Plume Trade at the beginning of the 20th century, but it rebounded in the mid-1900’s. Even today, however, the Reddish Egret is considered threatened in Florida, primarily due to coastal development and habitat degradation. 
“Reddish Egret is on the 2014 State of the Birds Watch List, which lists bird species that are at risk of becoming threatened or endangered without conservation action.” (All About Birds). I stood watching this graceful egret for over half an hour – and I must admit to feeling rather sad when he decided to take off in search of new hunting grounds.
Birder's Journey 
Those are gorgeous shots of beautiful birds. Thank you Carol! 🙂
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These Egrets are so special – thanks, HJ!
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Oh wonderful capture. Thank you so much for sharing your half hour with us. The info you realayed on this bird was illuminating !
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Glad you enjoyed it, Berny! Wish you could have experienced the Reddish Egret in person.
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Very nice, love the closeup and the detail on the beak colors.
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Thank you for your visit, Ellen. The Reddish Egret is certainly a handsome wading bird, isn’t he?!
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They are handsome–I hope they can continue their comeback.
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Me too, thanks. It’s always a delicate balance in South Florida between development and the environment.
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What a treat! I haven’t seen one in years.
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It was a real treat for me too! Thanks, Pam.
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What beautiful pictures, and a lucky spotting! It’s so lovely to see your blog after a while. Egrets and herons are such amazing birds, its unfortunate they face many threats.
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Thank you so very much! I’m afraid I’ve neglected my own and the wonderful posts of my fellow bloggers, like yours, too much of late!
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Your welcome! I understand, even I have periods where I have neglected my blog due to overwhelming school work! I looked at your blog after a long time and it was so lovely to see your photos!
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They have started a push up the coast to the marshes between Charleston and Savannah.
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Interesting. We’ve always seen them in other areas of Florida, but not near us in southern Palm Beach County. Curiously, though we did have one lone Reddish Egret juvenile last year in our wetlands who stayed for awhile – no sign of adults or other juveniles. We always wondered how he happened by 😉
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