Five Looks of the Reddish Egret

Saturday I spent the whole day at Fort De Soto Park. I arrived late, about 9 AM and stayed till sunset. In the morning I only photographed the Reddish Egret. In truth, it was the only “stand-out” bird from the every day residents (e.g., plovers, sanderlings, gulls, and terns). I was joined by five or six other photographers on a clear day with comfortable weather.

The Reddish is still sporting its two-toned beak and bluish legs, but the lilac lores are fading. Still, it put on a wonderful display for us.

When I arrived to North Beach it was in the tidal lagoon right off the beach access path. Within a minute it flew all the way down to the end of North Beach towards Outback Key. There it was joined by a Snowy Egret and a Red-breasted Merganser. This trio of birds are often seen together where they exhibit what is called cooperative hunting. Cooperative hunting is where different species work together to capture prey. These birds tolerate each other surprisingly well, so much that you’ll often see the merganser swimming all around the reddish egret’s feet. It’s fun to watch.

Red-breasted Merganser, Reddish Egret, and Snowy Egret. All move as one while corralling prey. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens at 410mm, 1/3200 sec, f/6.0, ISO 400.

While all three of the birds are wonderful subjects, I focused on the Reddish Egret. It’s hard not to when it puts on its dazzling dancing display. In previous posts I have described its dancing behavior, so I won’t repeat that here. My focus was really to get as many looks as I could from this unique and highly expressive bird.

Look 1: Head down, stare intently

In this look, the Reddish Egret sleeks its head and neck feathers down, drops its head to one side, stares intently at its prey, and runs.

Reddish Egret. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens at 600mm, 1/3200 sec, f/6.3, ISO 560.

Reddish Egret. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens at 380mm, 1/4000 sec, f/6.3, ISO 800.

Look 2: Wings Open

When it reaches its destination, it usually displays look #2, Wings Open. The Reddish will open one or both wings and begin to scurry around to chase down its prey. Often times, it will jump up completely out of the water, twisting and turning as it hops around. It’s during these sequences that the Reddish moves unpredictably to almost comical effect.

Reddish Egret. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens at 400mm, 1/3200 sec, f/6.3, ISO 720.

Reddish Egret. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens at 480mm, 1/4000 sec, f/6.3, ISO 900.

Reddish Egret. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens at 600mm, 1/4000 sec, f/6.3, ISO 640.

Look 3: Wings Overhead

Wings Overhead is the iconic Reddish Egret look. It’s the shot all photographers are trying to make. In this move, the Reddish Egret raises its wings over its lowered head as it zeroes in on its prey. Whether shot from the front or the side, it’s a stunning look. It’s a move other herons perform, but none do it as often or with as much pizzaz as the Reddish Egret.

Reddish Egret. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens at 600mm, 1/4000 sec, f/6.3, ISO 800.

Reddish Egret. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens at 500mm, 1/1250 sec, f/6.3, ISO 180.

Reddish Egret. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens at 540mm, 1/3200 sec, f/6.3, ISO 560.

Look 4: The Strike

After finding its prey it then strikes with speed and precision. From my observations, I would estimate the Reddish comes up with a fish at least 75% of the time.

Reddish Egret with prey. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens at 380mm, 1/4000 sec, f/6.3, ISO 800.

Reddish Egret and friends. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens at 600mm, 1/3200 sec, f/6.3, ISO 450.

Look 5: The Shake

Like all birds, the Reddish will shake its body to dry its feathers off. When the Reddish does it though, its long neck and head feathers shake apart giving the bird an almost “maned” appearance.

Reddish Egret. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens at 600mm, 1/4000 sec, f/6.3, ISO 800.

The Reddish Egret has many more looks, and as photographers, I challenge you to photograph as many of these as you can. There is one in particular that I like, which I call “Spike.” In Spike, the Reddish stands all of its head and neck feathers out. It’s usually done when another Reddish Egrets approaches, and in a greeting move they point their bills up.

After shooting the Reddish in the morning, I returned to my camper van, took a shower, ate lunch, edited photos, and took a nap. I returned to the beach that evening and I’ll share those photos in my next post after I upload them to my computer and see what I have.

Happy birding!