There are some benefits to being in a drought. We are getting a large number of great white egrets at our diminished pond. It would seem that ours is the only one around that still has water in it. This morning at 7:30 a.m. we counted 39 egrets. They aren't fishing--just standing around cooling their feet. Great white egrets during drought ( photo / image / picture from marlingardener's Garden ) They also like to perch in our ashe junipers and black willows. Tree full of egrets during drought ( photo / image / picture from marlingardener's Garden ) If they are eating the remaining fish, that's okay. We can restock the pond, but we can't restock great white egrets.
I hope they don't decide to stay in your tree. Egrets (also sometimes called the cockroach of the air because they multiply rapidly and spread diseases) are pretty to look at but when they establish a rookery they create noise, mess and diseases. And since they are a migratory bird they are federally protected and can not be harmed in any way or their rookery destroyed...you can't even legally use any means to get them to move away. There was one not far from here a few years ago, people living in the area couldn't use their yards because of the droppings that were everywhere, paint was being ruined on cars and houses and some kids were getting sick from the droppings. They complained to the city because the rookery way on city property. The city bulldozed the rookery but no one with the city thought to check to see if they were on any protected species lists. The city got fined big time by the Feds and now because of the droppings from hundreds of birds that piece of land can not be used by anyone for at least the next 50+ years because of the bacteria infesting the ground. It's a hazardous waste site now and more than double the size of the original rookery because the bacteria had spread in the soil It has been fenced off and wildflower seeds have been sown so every spring and summer the area is filled with pretty flowers and signs warning that the ground can not touched or walked on. I cringe every time I see one flying over my neighborhood afraid that my trees will become a new home for them.
The only time I've seen any egrets in numbers like that was in Holland a few years ago. They were a beautiful sight as their white plumage really stood out against the dark green of their roosting trees. Many thanks for the lovely photographs and the memories they envoked. :-D
Jerry, we have discussed the fall migration with a local ornithologist, and the consensus of opinion is that if the drought persists, the migration paths will change. This has happened in the past with hurricane damage (food/shelter destruction), and with a change in wind velocity and patterns. Right now we are in a "wait and see" situation. We may get fewer birds of fewer species for the fall migration. We participate in Cornell U.'s bird watch, and will be able to tell if the migratory paths have changed. Toni, the egrets appear shortly after dawn, and leave about 8:30 a.m. They have shown no signs of staying. We saw a rookery at a nearby state park--but those were Great Blues. Eileen, I'm so pleased we were able to evoke good memories for you. Egrets are lovely and graceful. I didn't know that Holland had a good population of egrets!
