The first time I took a picture of a Reddish Egret, I thought I had screwed up. What sort of bird is gray and brown with a black and pink bill? Surely, my camera’s color settings were way off.
But no, the camera was fine and so was the Reddish Egret, foraging in a pond at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Since learning about this bird, it’s become one I look for when I am out birding in its habitat.
They are so fun to watch as they dance around in the water to scare up fish. Or when the wind blows back their long brown feathers on their heads and necks.
They’re smart too, raising their long wings above their heads to block glare from the sun so they can see into the water better before snatching a little minnow or other treat.
Their long reddish feathers make it appear they’re sporting a mullet haircut. “In the stately and dignified world of herons, Reddish Egrets are the swashbuckling cousins,” AllAboutBirds.org says of the bird. “The two-toned bill and shaggy head and neck feathers give them a distinctive look.”
Here are some of my favorite pictures I have taken of Reddish Egrets since January 2023.
Reddish Egret, Fort DeSoto Park, February 2024.Reddish Egret, Fort DeSoto Park, February 2024.Reddish Egret, Fort DeSoto Park, February 2024.Reddish Egret, Black Point Wildlife Drive on Merritt Island, February 2024.Reddish Egret, Fort DeSoto Park, February 2024.Reddish Egret, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, February 2024.Reddish Egret, Black Point Wildlife Drive on Merritt Island, December 2023.Reddish Egret, Black Point Wildlife Drive on Merritt Island, December 2023.Reddish Egret, Black Point Wildlife Drive on Merritt Island, December 2023.A Reddish Egret looks rather sinister staring at your photographer at Black Point Wildlife Drive on Merritt Island in October 2023.This Reddish Egret is showing off his dancing legs in a pond along Black Point Wildlife Drive in July 2023.A Reddish Egret snatches a fish after performing his hunting dance across a pond on Black Point Wildlife Drive in July 2023.This Reddish Egret catches a little fish for lunch in the North Beach lagoon at Fort DeSoto Park in May 2023.A Reddish Egret in a pond at the Black Point Wildlife Drive on Merritt Island. This was the first time I photographed the bird and I thought my color settings were off.
