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Reddish Egrets on Bulls Island



On 7/22/2002 Doreen Cubie and Perry Nugent were conducting our twice monthly
shorebird wading bird survey on Bulls Island Charleston County, SC.  We saw
8 Reddish Egrets in various plumage phases.  There were 2 or 3 in breeding
plumage, 2 or 3 in what Sibley shows as second year plumage, 1 in typical
immature plumage and 1 that was pale slaty gray with a few white feathers.
This bird was in Jack's Creek pond with 3 Tri-colored Herons and we never
saw it with other Reddish Egrets.  Through 20-24 x spotting scopes it was
obviously larger than the tri-colors, had a bill that was gray with black
tip and a little fleshy color at the base of the lower mandible, its head
and neck were very pale gray to almost white and it walked fast as it fed,
but did not run in typical Reddish fashion.  My impression of this bird as
we watched it at least 20 minutes was that it seemed like an immature
Reddish Egret with a color that might have come from a mating of a colored
and a white parent.  I would appreciate comments on this and the other
egrets, particularly if you have information on the color variation of this
species.  The typical immature was seen with a normal colored adult in full
breeding plumage and was begging for food as if the adult was its parent.
These two egrets and most of the others we found were near the front beach
on the north end of the island and were feeding in water flowing out of
puddles left by the receding tide.  The weather was scattered showers to
partly sunny and windy.

Other good birds seen during this survey.  1 American Avocet in breeding
plumage, many Black-necked Stilts, 25 Stilt Sandpipers, many Black Terns,
and many Least Bitterns.  There were hundreds of the more common gulls,
terns and long legged waders.