| Common Name | Little Egret |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Egretta garzetta |
| Type of Report | Rare Species |
| Date of Observation | 06/07/2021 |
| Media | |
| Number Observed | 1 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | Kyle Jones |
| Mailing Address | 22 Blue Moon Rd South Strafford, VT 05070 United States Map It |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Date Completed | 06/08/2021 |
| Names & Emails of Other Contributing Observers | Many observers. See eBird checklists. |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 43.82282 |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | -72.564963 |
| Place Name | Fox Stand, White River |
| Township | Royalton |
| County | Windsor |
| Vermont eBird Checklist URL | ebird.org |
| Time of Day | 09:15 AM |
| Length of Time Observed | ~30 minutes, again for ~30 in the afternoon. |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 500 |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 100 |
| Noteworthy Weather Conditions | Hot. Strongly backlit in the afternoon. |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | 7x bins, Zoom spotting scope (with phone for digiscope photos), camera with 100-300mm zoom lens. |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | I believe I have seen Little Egret once or twice in New England, although no records show in my eBird history. I have seen Snowy Egret many times in many places. |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | In the White River with Snowy Egrets. Fast, shallow river. Not typical egret habitat but they spent most of the day in the river. |
| Behaviors Observed | I did not observe a lot of feeding, although I did see the Snowy Egrets doing their "umbrella" trick. Frequent short flights, usually near the Snowy Egrets. |
| Description of Vocalizations | None heard. |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | Soon after arriving at the Fox Stand bridge I noticed 3 small, white egrets in the river. Any egret is very unusual here, and small (not Great) egrets more-so. I noted the thin black bills, black legs with yellow feet, and various punky hair-dos and IDed them as Snowy Egrets and contacted other birders. I was able to get several photographs. I noted the long plumes and erred by judging them to be Snowy Egrets because of the plumes. After being corrected later, it was clear that one had the long plumes of Little Egret and the other two did not (confirmed on my second visit and from my original photos). |
| Relative Size & Shape | Slightly larger than the nearby Snowy Egrets. |
| Head | The diagnostic 2 long head plumes were noted. Ironically, I had forgotten this was indicative of Little Egret vs Snowy Egret and thought that it confirmed my initial ID as Snowy Egret. I was wrong. Fortunately other birders noted from Ken Cox's checklist photo that this was a Little Egret. The photo I posted initially in my checklist only showed the 2 Snowy Egrets. |
| Feet & Bill | Long black legs and "golden slippers" for feet. Black bill with brighter base of bill. I did not really note the color of the base of the bill. |
| Upper Back | Snowy. |
| Lower Back & Rump | Snowy. |
| Wings | Snowy. |
| Breast, Belly, Flanks, Under Tail Coverts | Snowy. |
| Tail | Snowy. |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | Snowy. I missed the Little Egret ID originally and went to Burlington. On my way back I was getting texts that other birders IDed a LIttle Egret from [Ken Cox's] checklist photos. That was when I realized my mistake and headed back to the river. It was clear then that one bird had the long, white head plumes of Little Egret and the others were more typical Snowy Egrets. This time the birds were more distant and backlit, and other birders were showing up, so I didn't approach it for additional photos. |
| Other Notes & Comments | Adult based on long plumes and time of year (early June). |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Written from Memory |
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