| Common Name | Little Egret |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Egretta garzetta garzetta |
| Type of Report | Rare Species |
| Date of Observation | 06/07/2021 |
| Media |  |
| Number Observed | 1 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | Richard Littauer |
| Mailing Address | 10 Monsignor Crosby Avenue #4 Montpelier, VT 05602 United States Map It |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Date Completed | 12/26/2021 |
| Names & Emails of Other Contributing Observers | Sam Darmstadt, |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 43.822820 |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | -72.564963 |
| Place Name | Fox Stand |
| Township | Royalton |
| County | Windsor |
| Vermont eBird Checklist URL | ebird.org |
| Time of Day | 05:35 PM |
| Length of Time Observed | 30 minutes |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 800 |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 300 |
| Noteworthy Weather Conditions | Clear. Sunny. Mid-afternoon. |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | 30x Spotting scope, 8x42 Vortex Viper binos, Nikon D500 with 500mm lens |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | 10 previous observations with 28 individuals, in Portugal, Scotland, Japan and Thailand. |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | Both standing in and strutting around the ripples, usually closer to the edge, under the bridge, and then flew up river but still in sight, like nearby Snowy Egrets. |
| Behaviors Observed | Was first spotted standing on one leg, which the Snowy Egrets did not do. Flew up river over out of sight eventually. Legs came out of the water enough to see yellow tint. |
| Description of Vocalizations | None observed. |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | Continuing bird. Small white egret (but larger than nearby SNEG) with 2 plumes, purple lores, all black bill, and yellow feet. Both standing in and strutting around the ripples, usually closer to the edge, under the bridge, and then flew up river but still in sight, like nearby Snowy Egrets. Was first spotted standing on one leg, which the Snowy Egrets did not do. Credit to Kyle Jones, Ken Cox, Jacob Crawford, Zac Cota, the Maevilles, and Sam Darmstadt for the find, photo, ID, alert, scope usage, and company on the ride there, respectively. Photos taken. This was a twitched bird - other birders present on scene. Tops of yellow feet noticed at one point, and the purple lores, are typical of E. garzetta garzetta. Subspecies identified afterwards. |
| Relative Size & Shape | Heron shape; larger than nearby SNEG, but smaller than GBHE. |
| Head | White head with two plumes. Purple lores noted through scopes. |
| Feet & Bill | Dark, pointy bill. Yellow feet, looking like it had socks on. |
| Upper Back | White. |
| Lower Back & Rump | White. |
| Wings | White. Not noted as peculiar in any way in observation at time. |
| Breast, Belly, Flanks, Under Tail Coverts | White. |
| Tail | Short, white. |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | SNEG and GREG were eliminated by size and by two plumes. |
| Other Notes & Comments | Good bird! |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Immediately After |
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