Egret at Lake Kittamaqundi

Reader Tom Lorsung sent us another photo of a bird from one of his walks around Columbia.

This time it's a Great Egret near Lake Kittamaquni.

Lorsung says, "The egret may not make the 'exotic' category because it is around the lake a lot these days, but I thought that the perching in the tree picture was interesting."

I agree. Here's more about the egret from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, so if you see it on a walk you can inform your friends:

"The elegant Great Egret is a dazzling sight in many a North American wetland. Slightly smaller and more svelte than a Great Blue Heron, these are still large birds with impressive wingspans. They hunt in classic heron fashion, standing immobile or wading through wetlands to capture fish with a deadly jab of their yellow bill. Great Egrets were hunted nearly to extinction for their plumes in the late nineteenth century, sparking conservation movements and some of the first laws to protect birds."

Egrets are found year-round in much of South America and come as far north as Canada during the summer. They nest high in trees, often on islands to avoid predators, according to the Cornell Ornithology Lab.

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Green Heron Spotted at Lake Kittamaqundi