| Common Name | Great Egret |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ardea alba |
| Type of Report | Out-of-Season |
| Date of Observation | 11/26/2017 |
| Number Observed | 1 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | Spencer Hardy |
| Mailing Address | 133 Tucker Hill Rd Norwich, VT 05055 United States Map It |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Date Completed | 11/27/2017 |
| Names & Emails of Other Contributing Observers | Alison Wagner - ten.t1511791532vamg@1511791532tvfot1511791532akila1511791532 |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 44.1840684 |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | -73.3101759 |
| Place Name | Dead Creek - Otter Creek Confluence |
| Township | Vergennes |
| County | Addison |
| Vermont eBird Checklist URL | ebird.org |
| Time of Day | 11:26 AM |
| Length of Time Observed | 5 mins |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | ~500' |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | ~500' |
| Noteworthy Weather Conditions | Overcast, NW wind |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | Minox 8x42 |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | Seen dozens in VT and elsewhere. Also seen other similar species--Cattle Egret, Intermediate Egret |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | Along the bank of Otter Creek, on a small strip of mud under large hardwoods |
| Behaviors Observed | Slowly wading, appeared to be hunting but moving very slowly |
| Description of Vocalizations | None |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | While driving Basin Harbor Rd, I saw a big white bird/trash bag and almost didn't stop, but made a comment to Ali about it being a Great Egret and decided to spin around. Sure enough, a large white egret with a yellow bill was slowly meandering the shoreline! We didn't realize how late it was, so didn't photograph or spend much time taking detailed notes. |
| Relative Size & Shape | Perhaps a bit more slender than GBHE |
| Head | White |
| Feet & Bill | All yellow bill-pointed and much longer than the head. Didn't see/notice the leg color |
| Upper Back | White |
| Lower Back & Rump | White |
| Wings | White |
| Breast, Belly, Flanks, Under Tail Coverts | White |
| Tail | White |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | Slender, long neck and long bill eliminated Cattle Egret. The old world Intermediate Egret can probably be safely eliminated by the large size (approaching GBHE) and long, gracefully curved neck. Great White Heron is also very unlikely, and would have had a noticeably thicker bill. |
| Other Notes & Comments | Jim Mead photographed two GREG at the same location 10 days earlier: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40533861 |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Written from Memory |
Vermont Atlas of Life Partners
