Monday, September 11, 2017

Cattle Egrets


Happy Monday everyone!

I am sharing one of my favorite birds seen in Florida. We saw many of the Cattle Egrets at the Circle B Bar Reserve near Lakeland Florida. During the breeding season they have pretty tan or golden feathers on their head, chest and back. They are smaller in size compared to the other Egret species. They are all white with a yellow bill and legs.

BTW, I hope Florida and my friends and family there have all safely survived Hurricane Irma. I also hope all my favorite birding spots, birds and wildlife have survived this storm.


If you click on the photo below you can see some of the Cattle Egret below that have the golden colors on their head.


These two Cattle Egrets were seen in Baltimore County Maryland. So they are found up and down the coast during the summer season.


A few more Cattle Egrets seen at a local Florida preserve.  They eat insects on gassy fields.




I hope you enjoyed my Egrets photos and post.
As always I thank you for stopping by and as always I appreciate your comments.

My list of memes for today, I hope to see you there. Thanks to both of the host below.


Thanks to Michelle for hosting Nature Notes


Thanks to Stewart for hosting Wild Bird Wednesday

68 comments:

Anonymous said...

We used to see a lot of them in central Florida. I haven't seen as many up here in north Florida.

Seraphinas Phantasie said...

Hi Eileen,
marvelous photos of those wonderful birds. Fabulous !
I pray for Florida and the humans, the animals and the birds there.
Best regards, Synnöve

Nancy Chan said...

I have seen some birds that look like these in my area. I am not sure whether they are of the same specie. They are lovely birds.

Gordon said...

Lovely shots of the Cattle egrets Eileen, we are begining to see more of them in the UK, like the little egret numbers are slowly building. I worry for the wild lif in Florida at the moment.
All the best, Gordon.

chica said...

Muito lindas! Adorei! Ótima semana! bjs, tudo de bom,chica

Stewart M said...

Great looking birds - and its one we have here as well.

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

David M. Gascoigne, said...

Ironically, Cattle Egrets were probably originally brought to South America by adverse weather conditions and have subsequently populated a good portion of North America. I wonder what might have been driven onshore by the recent hurricanes in Texas and Florida.

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
They are lovely, aren't they? I add my fervent wishes that the storm affected the least amount of people and place... Ma Nature has really been angry this year... YAM xx

Marit said...

Hello,

Beautiful photos of The Cattle Egret! They was very cute.

Happy Monday!

Tom said...

...I enjoy seeing them on Maui.

Carol Blackburn said...

Mornin' Eileen, I was intrigued by the name "cattle egret" and wondered about it so I went and found this -

The short, thick-necked Cattle Egret spends most of its time in fields rather than streams. It forages at the feet of grazing cattle, head bobbing with each step, or rides on their backs to pick at ticks. This stocky white heron has yellow plumes on its head and neck during breeding season. Originally from Africa, it found its way to North America in 1953 and quickly spread across the continent. Elsewhere in the world, it forages alongside camels, ostriches, rhinos, and tortoises—as well as farmers’ tractors.

Now I can see where it gets the name from. Very interesting bird. Great photos and I hope they survived, too.
Have a great day.

DeniseinVA said...

Delightful photos of the cattle egrets Eileen. I saw these everywhere at the Outer Banks. Many near the wild horses. Happy Sunday and have a great week:)

Jo said...

Hi Eileen beautiful birds and beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing. We pray Florida people are OK. Have a great day. Jo

Karen said...

Adorable egrets! Hope you have a great day

Marco Luijken said...

Hello Eileen,
Nice pictures of so many Cattle Egrets.
They are so wonderful.
I saw them only in real in the Zoo.

Have a nice day,
Marco

eileeninmd said...

Hello Carol, I have seen these Cattle Egrets riding on the backs of the wild ponies in Chincoteague Island Virginia. Thanks for your visit and comment. Happy Monday!

eileeninmd said...

Ma Nature can be angry at times, these storms and wildfires are dangerous. Happy Monday and thanks for your visit.

eileeninmd said...

I wish I was there to see some of the rare bird sightings that come in from the storm. Thanks for your comment, enjoy your day!

italiafinlandia said...

Let's hope Irma spared not only humans but also animals, as many as possible!
Nice photos of funny birds.
Have a good week!

Charlene N. K. said...

Wow, they're so cute! I haven't seen egrets yet and I hope to see them someday.
Thank you for these beautiful pictures. Have a wonderful week!

Linda said...

Beautiful photos of these fascinating and wonderful birds, Eileen! I hope you have a great week ahead! Thank you so much for sharing. :)

A Colorful World said...

I've always enjoyed seeing them. Great photos.

Bob Bushell said...

I love them, you have the Cattle Egrets really close. Beautiful photos.

Suzanne said...

They are pretty birds, Eileen! And, the golden markings make them more attractive. I do also hope your family, friends, and, the wildlife, have been unharmed by Irma's wrath! Have a great day, Eileen!

Lady Fi said...

Awww - so cute and fluffy!

Crafty Green Poet said...

Lovely to see the egrets, I used to see egrets a lot when I lived in Malawi, but we don't get them very often in Scotland

Linda W. said...

Love their puffy heads! Yes, I hope that the wildlife has survived the hurricane.

Mary Hone said...

I love the fluffy heads. Too cute.

RedPat said...

I wonder what happens to the birds during a hurricane! Th winds must make it impossible for them to hang on to tree branches.

NCSue said...

I've never seen these guys - they're rather lovely!
I hope you'll come share at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2017/09/pop.html

The Yum List said...

Just look at their fluffy heads. It makes me want to gentle ruffle their feathers.

This N That said...

Good shots of the Cattle Egrets..They are plentiful for sure..Enjoy your week..

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

Those fluffy heads are adorable! I too wonder how the birds handle a hurricane...

I have some quilting blogger friends and a gardening one ; they've all checked in here and there and are doing okay. ( You start to worry about your blogger-friends the same as you would do about family! :)

HappyK said...

What lovely fluffy heads. : )

Anonymous said...

Amazing pictures. That is a good point. What about the wildlife in these disaster area?

krishna said...

When I go walking in the morning, I see an egret everyday day..

Cloudia said...

What a fun visit

Rose said...

Oh, I did enjoy seeing them...they are so pretty!

Pam said...

Great photos. Very cool birds..

Jeanie said...

Egrets always make my heart beat a bit faster. Lovely.

rupam sarma said...

Lovely pics.
Greetings

Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie said...

They are very handsome birds, Eileen. I am so worried about how all the wild things fared.....sending wishes for a lovely week. xx Karen

Noushka said...

Hello Eileen,
Indeed it is time for youngsters to regroup!
We have many here too and it is a species I enjoy very much!
Lovely post and photos,
Enjoy your outings, hugs from France :)

Phil Slade said...

Hi Eileen. Well, I see them almost everywhere I go, here and aborad but I never tire of Cattle Egrets - a lovely bird to see and watch. Thanks for reminding me.

Prunella Pepperpot said...

Wonderful birds Eileen and I too pray for everyone affected by the storm.
Wishing you a lovely week.

Maggee said...

I LOVE to find them when I am birding... I found them in southern Virginia Beach and northeast corners of North Carolina that I have visited so far. They are quite cute! I even saw one sitting on a horse! Ha! Thanks for sharing! Hugs!

Janneke said...

Great cattl egret photos. The fluffy heads of first photo look so cute.... We don't have this egret in our country, until now I have not seen them or heard of them.

William Kendall said...

The fluffy heads are cool!

Our photos said...

Wonderful birds !

Lois said...

Excellent photos! I like seeing them too. I even had one in my backyard one time.

Debbie said...

very cool golden crowns, i have never seen that before. beautiful captures, they sure do hang in large groups!!

Angie said...

Eileen - they are so pretty. The first shot is my favorite!

Ohmydearests said...

Hi Eileen! they are beautiful! have a lovely day!

Anu said...

Hello Eileen! The egrets are so beautiful. Great photos. Have a nice week!

Laura. M said...

Cute!!! Eileeen. They are all beautiful white.
Beautiful report.
Besos.

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Wonderful to see so many Cattle Egrets Eileen

ellen b said...

I enjoy all I learn about nature and birds visiting you, Eileen. You are a great resource. Love the first photo with those fluffy heads! Hoping the best for Floridians and the rest of the southeast!

Henry said...

Those egrets are so beautiful!!! Thank you for sharing those amazing images with us:)
Henry

Hootin Anni said...

I enjoyed your series of the cattle egrets Eileen. They're one of my favorites...especially during breeding season.

21 Wits said...

Good morning! You take us to the prettiest of locations, but especially nice are the Egrets you are so lucky to catch all the time! They are such a beautiful and graceful creature!

Lowcarb team member said...

Just love those fluffy heads!
Lovely to see all of your Egrets photos ...

Hope the week is going well for you.

All the best Jan

Cranberry Morning said...

It is wonderful to see those egrets, Eileen! We've been seeing and hearing geese and sandhill cranes who seem to be congregating these days. I bet they're getting confused, though, by our high temps this week. It's in the 80s! Have a wonderful week, Eileen.

NatureFootstep said...

one of my favorites as well. First time I saw one of them was in Camarque, sitting on a horseback. Was a cool sight. :)

Rambling Woods said...

I love the puffy heads and regal bearing of the egrets... Michelle

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

Egrets are so cool ... the Fonzy of the bird world

Lea said...

Great photos!
I have seen Cattle Egrets here in Mississippi only once. It was during the Winter, so I have not seen the breeding plumage
Hope you are having a great week!

orchid0324 said...

Dearest Eileen; Oh My, aren't Cattle Egrets gorgeous♡♡♡ I remember clearly about the happy feeling when I found them myself in the rice paddy. I've compared the difference p:-)
Have a WONDERFUL rest of the week.
Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend, xoxo Miyako*

Helma said...

Hello Eileen,
the couriers are really awesome !!!!!
In the Netherlands you will not see them often but they are beautiful to see.
Your pictures are therefore super nice with these drivers!
Greetings

Happy Monday!

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