Camera Critters---Reddish Egret

I recently spent 10 days on the Texas coast. One of my favorite birds from the trip was the Reddish Egret. They are quite handsome. While feeding they seem to lurch from place to place. The thing I found most interesting about them was their head feathers. One field guide described them as "shaggy plumes" and another described them as "loose-feathered".

These photos were taken at Brazoria NWR. Brazoria was one of the refuges that was damaged during Hurricane Ike. According to the sign at the closed visitor center, things were beginning to come back. The day I spent there, there seemed to be a nice variety of birds.


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The next two photos show the "shaggy plumes"

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A Northern harrier had just passed over, and this is the reaction it evoked

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Head on over to Camera Critters to see more critters (by clicking on the icon)

New Sandhill Crane Web Site

From the Lincoln Journal Star

Every year about this time, small flocks of sandhill cranes begin arriving along the Platte River in central Nebraska.

Now there’s a Web site to tell you, by e-mail, when most of the birds show up.

NebraskaFlyway.com also provides: maps of key birding areas along the Platte River and the Rainwater Basin; how to sign up for blinds and guided tours; calendar of wildlife-related events; a gallery where you can share your crane photos; information on lodging and attractions; and a link to a “Crane Cam,” where you can watch cranes from your computer.

Before you click on the web site, turn off anything else you are listening to, because when the site opens you will hear the call of the Sandhill cranes. The sound of Sandhill cranes is very distinctive, and once you have heard it, you will immediately recognize it whenever you hear it again.

NebraskaFlyway.com

I've added the link in the sidebar.

UPDATE: See my March 1 post with more Sandhill crane viewing resources and here for the link to Crane Cam 2009