Birds · Field Record

Great Egret

Ardea alba

A Great Egret stands in shallow water at Grindstone Marsh with a freshly captured fish held crosswise in its bill. Across the sequence, the bird is shown first securing the fish, then holding it above the water, and finally plunging its bill back into the marsh with wings partly extended for balance. The observation documents active feeding in a shallow wetland environment. The bird’s long white body, elongated neck, yellow-orange bill, yellow-green eye area, and dark legs are consistent with Great Egret. Submerged and partially exposed woody debris is visible around the bird, adding physical structure to the foraging edge. As a field record, the sequence is useful not only as a species observation but also as evidence of how shallow-water habitat functions as feeding space. The visible interaction between bird, prey, water depth, and submerged structure gives the record a clear ecological and spatial dimension.