Yay…. I think that’s my mom heading this way! I’m starving! We’re still seeing lots of nest activity in our local wetlands, even though it’s mid-June already. This Great Egret youngster looked pretty excited when he saw his parent heading back to the nest.
“Both parents feed the young by regurgitation. At the age of three weeks, the young may begin to climb about the nest, but do not fledge until 6-7 weeks.” (BirdWeb) Once the young Egrets get a bit older, feeding time begins to look an awful lot like a sword fight!!
“As the chicks increase in size and strength they seize their parents’ bills on their own at feeding time and try to pull them down into the nest perhaps hoping to hasten the delivery of food. After egret chicks are large enough to grasp their parents’ bills in this way, food goes directly into the mouths of the young instead of being deposited in the nests.” (Egret.org)
Hey wait… Come back!! I’m still hungry!! They never seem satisfied! Find more about Great Egrets on All About Birds.
Birder's Journey 
Nice action series and descriptions, Carol! Your third photo really shows how intense the feeding scene gets.
Interesting that you are seeing later than normal nesting; we’ve seen that, too in the Great Egrets this year.
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Thanks so much for your visit, Ellen. Isn’t that interesting that you’re also having the same later than usual nesting that we are here?!
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Cute, pretty and informative. How do they stay so white all the time?
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Great question, Berny. Lots of diligent preening, I guess. And…. Except for their legs, they don’t typically get very dirty. 😉
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Awesome captures, Carol! They become ‘teenagers’ real quick! 😁
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They certainly do, Donna – it is just amazing to see how fast they grow!
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Awesome! How is that the mother can chew but the child cannot? Is there an organ not yet developed in the child that grinds up the food? I assume most or all birds don’t have teeth.
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You are right that most birds do not have teeth, including the great egret. The parent swallows fish or other prey whole. I’ve read in one source that egrets do not actually have a gizzard or crop, as other birds do – But I really don’t know for certain. So I’m also curious about how the baby egrets develop the ability to swallow whole prey on their own. This link is fun and interesting: https://www.google.com/amp/s/brighamstephen.wordpress.com/2017/02/07/bird-digestion/amp/ I’m going to try to find out more about great egrets from him, as I follow his blog.
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They act like human teens, don’t they? It’s never enough! Fantastic shots, Carol! Have a great Sunday. 🙂
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They sure do, HJ. It just doesn’t take them nearly as long to get to that stage 😅. Wishing you a wonderful nature-filled week!
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Awesome series of photos! Great job!
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Thank you Amy! These egrets are so entertaining to watch – you never know what they’ll do next!
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Thanks for the continuing showcase of these nesting Egrets BJ, it is a joy to see the youngsters as they start their life journey and keep their parents busy as our own children did.
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Thanks so much, AB! I’ve actually been amazed at how busy the parents still are, in mid-June, after an entire spring tending to their noisy offspring!
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Very nice series of images! Enjoyed seeing them!
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Thanks so much, Reed – glad you enjoyed them!
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What a great series! I first thought they were fighting… 🙂
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Thanks, Amy! ☺️Yes, that’s exactly what it looks like!!
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Your photos of the youngster and parent and their interactions are super. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks for visiting, Tanja – so glad you enjoyed it! 🤗
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It’s always my pleasure to stop by!
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☺️
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Stunning photos Carol. I love the way you have captured the excitement.
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How kind of you, Carol! It really was fun to watch the whole scenario unfold!
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Amazing images Carol, you really managed to capture their special behavior, they are so beautiful.
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How very kind of you, Anita!! I hope you’re enjoying a wonderful weekend ☀️!
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