Winter showers mean Egrets everywhere!

December 15, 2006 on 9:28 pm | In Daily Local Birder |

Greetings!
It seems to us that now is an apropos time to post about Sonoma County egrets. If you live out in the country, or take country drives for pleasure, you are certain to see these long-legged waders in almost any flooded field. Of course, a visit to local wetlands, marshes and ponds really increase your chances, too. Yet, those new to birding may not realize that we have not one, but two egrets in this area, and the aim of this post is to teach you how to identify them.

As you will see from my accompanying sketch, there is quite a size difference between the Great Egret, and the smaller Snowy Egret. Standing at an average of 24″ in height, the Snowy Egret is 3/5 the size of the larger bird. But, unless you’re lucky enough to see the two similar species standing side by side out in nature, knowing that one is big and the other little isn’t going to be of much help to you in distinguishing them. Fortunately, nature lets we birders identify field marks that we can memorize. With local egrets, you have 2 surefire ways of telling one from the other.

The Beaks
If the bird you see has a yellow beak, it’s a Great Egret. If the beak is black, it’s a Snowy Egret. Simple as that.

The Feet
Greats have black feet, and Snowies have yellow feet. Both birds have black legs, so look at the feet. I’ll note here that should you see a Snowy Egret with yellow legs, it’s a young bird.

So, paying close attention to beaks and feet can make you a pro when it comes to identifying egrets. The more experienced you become at birding, the more rules of thumb such as these you are likely to have stored in your mental index file.

Further Field Notes on Egrets
When I was a little girl, I mistakenly thought egrets were cranes. Cranes, however, do not live in Sonoma County. If you see a big white wader, it’s most likely an Egret. I think of them now as cut-out birds. So blankly white is their plumage that they look like a missing area in a landscape…a space God forgot to fill in! Breeding plumage of the Snowy Egret is particularly fluffy and wispy between February and July. They look like such delicate birds, yet their long legs are surprisingly strong and they will stand absolutely still for long periods of time, in water, waiting for fish, frogs, and other prey to pass by. Then, sploosh, down goes the head to catch a meal.

Great Egrets seem to have the most zen-like ability to become one with their surroundings, whereas the smaller birds often run about on their quick little legs in search of food. In flight, both species are exquisite to watch.

My earliest memory involving a Great Egret, Ardea alba is of being in a swampy region of Annadel State Park with my father. Dense green tangles of trees and grasses trapped the humid air around us where we quietly walked. All at once, a huge white bird passed over us through the misty verdure. “A pterodactyl,” my father informed me gravely and I stared in half-believing wonder. Indeed, dinosaur roots seem a thing of only yesterday when one contemplates the upright habit and form of the Great Egret, and that is an enchanted memory for me that has always made me feel as though I know what the Earth was like in the day of the dinosaur.

I only became aware of the Snowy Egret, Egretta thula when I started seriously birding, and figured out the feet and beak rule. Now, I cannot say which of the two birds is my favorite.
As mentioned above, any water-based habitat is a likely place to see egrets of both species. You will see the species together in mixed flocks or singly. Both birds lay 3-6 pale blue eggs in platform stick nests. Both species also boast incredibly long, agile necks that s-curve up, down, in and out in a manner that is fascinating to observe.

The one indelicate thing about egrets are their calls. Talk about dinosaurs! The incredibly loud, groaning, croaking squawks of these birds are rather unforgettable and always make us laugh because they seem so incongruous with the refined appearance of the fowl.

Where to see egrets in Sonoma County
One of the most exciting egret sightings is of flocks roosting in trees. Check all along the Petaluma River for this. Shollenberger Park in Petaluma is a reliable spot, too. Last spring, on one of our many walks along Willowside Creek at the western edge of Santa Rosa, it seemed to us that Egrets were flying overhead about every 4-5 minutes. A real abundance! Just outside Sonoma County, on Hwy 1 between Tomales and Pt. Reyes Station, we have seen fabulous roosting trees of mixed Egrets and Great Blue Herons. You could hardly see the leaves for all the birds! But, really, this is one bird you shouldn’t have to look hard to find at this wet season of the year. Just keep your eyes open for that missing white patch in the landscape.