Are you familiar with the infamous plume trade that supplied the millinery industry just over 100 years ago? This sign at the entrance to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, near Naples, Florida, provides a glimpse into the history behind this practice . . . and, this incredible place. I cringe to think about it, but literally millions of […]
Tag Archives: Great Egret
Learn more, and take a virtual visit to this special place: Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
This Great Egret appeared to be peering over at me, saying, “Hey, look what I found . . . “ “Hmmm…, now I just have to figure out how to get this long skinny thing down my throat before it gets away.” Eating a snake is lot more challenging than spearing a fish and tossing it up […]
“The elegant Great Egret is a dazzling sight in many a North American wetland.” This one was surveying the ponds below from a perch high atop the marsh, just before sunset the other day. His sweeping spray of long feathers is a distinctive sign of the upcoming breeding season. “Called aigrettes, those plumes were the bane of […]
This Great Egret was enjoying a festive first breakfast of 2017 this morning at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge! After one successful foray, he strutted back out full of confidence for another fish course.The water was utterly calm and smooth. The crystal clear surface made for wonderful reflections, and probably made it quite easy for […]
This elegant Great Egret circled overhead and then flew right past me yesterday afternoon. It seems inconceivable that this beautiful bird, along with other egrets, herons and ibises were once “harvested” in order to make fashionable women’s hats! In fact, the Great Egret “a dazzling sight in many a North American wetland” (All About Birds), was hunted almost […]
Did you ever have one of those moments when something happens so quickly that you have no idea what settings you have on your camera – you just point and shoot?Well, this morning, I was chatting with some folks about a Wood Stork in the pond, when all of a sudden I spotted this Great […]
Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, takes place this Tuesday evening through Wednesday. On this day, also known as the Day of Atonement, one refrains from eating and drinking, and spends most of the day in the synagogue engaged in prayer. Much of the liturgy focuses on repentance, confession, and seeking forgiveness. Yet Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz reminds […]
This past week, our Shabbat Torah reading, which was the second portion of the Book of Devarim (Deuteronomy), opened with one of the most poignant and moving statements ever made by the great leader Moshe Rabbenu (Moses). G-d has previously told Moshe that, despite Moshe’s great love for Eretz Israel, he will never enter the […]
The glow of the sky at sunrise looks so lovely behind the birds as we all (the birds and I!) begin our day. On the first several tree islands, each bird appears as a silhouette, as I walk toward them facing east.. A lone Fish Crow rests in the crook of the tree branches as the […]
Birder's Journey 