For the past 9 days, our daughter and granddaughter have been visiting us from Japan. Of course, anyone who comes here wants to go to the beach so last week we took a trip to Fort De Soto Park in St. Petersburg. They have a huge beach that is good for shelling. While the ladies were walking the shore searching for shells, I wandered over by one of the large tidal pools to watch a reddish egret fish for its breakfast.
In the United States, the reddish egret is typically only found along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. They are not a common bird but we often see several at Fort De Soto Park. In fact, the park has become a destination for birders and photographers looking for a reddish egret.
They are very entertaining when they begin hunting for food. They work the shallow waters of the tidal pools where small fish get trapped by the receding waters. The egrets will run through the water, often with their wings raised like a cape to herd the fish into areas that are easier for them to grab.
For more information about reddish egrets, follow the links below.
- https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Reddish_Egret/overview
- https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/reddish-egret
- https://abcbirds.org/bird/reddish-egret/
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, please visit the gallery listed.
