Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

Re: Egret

The bird’s lores are lit up in green for breeding season.
While the Snowy Egret’s aigrettes are said to have been the most favored for hat decoration, the Great Egret’s long white plumes were also hunted in a frenzy before the migratory bird protection acts of a century ago.

City Nature Challenge starts tomorrow. Remember, for iNaturalist purposes, plants planted by people (yesterday, or in the case of a tree, a century ago) aren’t considered wild: so most plants in gardens, parks, street trees, etc., are “captive/cultivated” casual observations.

And be circumspect with locations of rare, endangered, or threatened life forms. Plant hunters, mushroom foragers, other collectors, as for example of reptiles, are all, unfortunately, real threats. In iNaturalist you can obscure the location so that it’s regional instead of pinpoint

mthew

One response to “Re: Egret”

  1. Chuck McAlexander

    Every spring all breeding aged birds go through the equivalent of our puberty. In the fall both genders go through menopause. Some change the length of their digestive system twice per year. All of them molt feathers either continually or in sections called tracts. Some double their body weight for migration. Is it any wonder they act a bit distracted on occasion.

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