The vegetation seemed so thick in the marshland at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge that I was surprised that a Great Egret (Ardea alba) was able to spot and catch a fish there last Monday. I have not seen many egrets this year, so I was shocked to see five of them that day.
Great Egrets leave our area and head to warmer locations when the weather begins to turn cooler, while their “cousins,” the Great Blue Herons, stay with us throughout the entire year.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
They stayed for you! What a wonderful capture!
That egret could see the dinner for the leaves. It just had to keep its eyes peeled on the prize. Great picture Mike.
Thanks, John. I don’t know how deep the water actually was, but I am always amazed at the way that herons and egrets are able to track fish as they swim and then then violently plunge their bills into the water to catch the prey.
You may see more Egrets due to the last hurricane. Birds everywhere left for safer parts 😀. We even have Flamingoes on a barrier island right outside Charleston.