I have heard people call these magnificent birds egrets and herons so I decided to see what I could find. What I found is that an egret is a type of heron. Egrets are usually white with a black bill and legs. Herons are usually blue-gray and have pale legs and thick yellow bills but can also be white.

What to look for. Egrets are usually white, and herons are usually colored i.e. blue, gray, brown. Black legs and dark bills are characteristic of egrets and herons have duller legs and heavier bills. Egrets grow beautiful, lacy “aigrette” feathers during breeding season as herons retain plumes year-round on their heads and chests.

When I was campground host, I discovered a nesting area just off the St. Francis River. When they are nesting the cries, they make sound like something is killing something. They are quite disturbing and at 10:30 at night it will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

I got to witness two of these large birds do battle. They actually chest bumped in mid-air and would use tree limbs to catapult them into the air. It was quite the sight to behold. They fought hard. Some of the campers who heard their cries insisted it was Bigfoot screaming.

A big thank you to all that stopped by and read my post. You are appreciated very much. I hope I didn’t bore you.

A new year is now upon us. I wish everyone a joyful and prosperous new year. Remember to be kind to one another.