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Reddish Egret Behaviour



I winged it down to Fort FIsher this afternoon to see if I could find that
Reddish Egret from yesterday's post; after walking out to the end of the
Hermit Trail I scanned the basin and there against the light was an egret
prancing about, occasionally flashing its tail and acting a lot more
actively than most egrets. The feeding behaviour was classic Reddish
Egret, but unfortunately try as I may I could not get any colour on the
bird; I tried wading out to it across about half a mile but the thought of
lurking rays brought me back. Frustrating, since I have never seen a
Reddish Egret in N Carolina and I wanted to be absolutely sure of the
id. The only other thing this could possibly have been was a Tricolored
Heron acting and feeding in a Reddish Egret manner. So here is my question
has anyone ever seen Tricolored Herons prancing, lurching and flashing
their wings, and not for a few seconds but sustainedly for a good half
hour? I want to eliminate all possibilities.

The grassy areas leading up to the airport revealed no Upland Sandpipers,
and I walked over every inch of that turf.

Had nice looks at a flying Clapper Rail, an elegant YBilled Cuckoo, and my
first ever Glossy Ibis in this state, plus several Gull Billed Terns and
Seaside Sparows.

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SHANTANU PHUKAN
Lecturer in Urdu-Hindi & Indian Literature
University of N. Carolina, Chapel Hill
Curriculum in Asian Studies
Alumni Hall 413C
Chapel Hill, N.C. 27599

phukan@email.unc.edu
919-962-6825
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