Perched high in a distant tree, this first Great Egret (Ardea alba) of the spring made an appearance for me on Thursday morning at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I love this egret’s long feathery breeding plumage.
My only regret is that I was unable to get a closer look at this beautiful bird. The egret seemed content to remain in its standing perch for a long time—perhaps it was tired from an extended migration flight. I don’t yet know if this was merely a resting spot for the egret or if it will remain in our area.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Our egrets will do that, too. More than one has outlasted me, just standing in its tree.
Both egrets and herons have an amazing amount of patience that often exceeds my own (and I consider myself to be a pretty patient guy).
Magnificent bird!
Thanks, Dan.
Nice! Spring is finely coming!
More birds are reappearing for sure and I’m starting to see insects. There is nothing like a few days in the 70’s to make it feel like spring.
What a great contrast against the sky!
Thanks, Robert. I was thrilled to see the egret posed like that, though I had to be really careful not to blow out the highlight of the brilliant white feathers. As a result, I deliberately underexposed the shot, which had the effect of slightly darkening the sky. I like the way that it turned out.
That’s a very beautiful bird, and a great shot of it.
I wish they came this far north.
We are very fortunate here in Northern Virginia to get many of the southern birds and many of the northern birds too, plus a number of others that migrate through the area.
Benjamin and I think this is a beautiful Egret perched on the branch. He really likes the “long legs and beak”! The sky is a lovely shade of blue, was it early morning? Benjamin wants to say “Happy Easter and Thank-you, Mr. Mike!”
Happy Easter to you all too. It was in fact early morning when I took the shot.