Great Egrets at Echo Park in Burlington Wisconsin on September 29, 2016

I made a couple of stops out at Echo Park in Burlington Wisconsin as some Great Egrets were being reported there at the dam. Nice numbers of 10-15 were present when I was there. I think numbers are down from a few days ago. These birds put on an amazing show while I was there! They all seemed to be fishing while I was present but only a few fish were actually caught. Some of the other things I enjoyed watching was the preening, some interaction when a fish was caught or sometimes just relaxing. It is a sight to see as these amazing birds will soon be heading south. Weather conditions were overcast skies for the most part with some wind and cool fall like temps. Images were taken on September 28-29, 2016.

A fluffed up!

All fluffed up!

Great Egret

Binomial name: Ardea alba

Category: Bittern, Herons, and Allies

Size: 39” long, 51” wing span

Weight: 1.9 lb

Hanging out

Hanging out

Moving around above the dam

Moving around above the dam

The beauty!

Incoming

Coming in for a landing

The landing

The stop

The stop

The catch!

The catch!

Takes the catch away to avoid the other egrets trying to take it away

Takes the catch away to avoid the other egrets trying to take it

Above the dam it takes the catch

Above the dam it takes the catch

Incoming

The landing

The stop

The stop

Just coming through

Just coming through

From the top of the dam down

From the top of the dam down

Just beauty

Just beauty

Fishing

Fishing

A pair on top of the dam

A pair on top of the dam

Preening

Preening

Rest

Resting

More preening

More preening

More preening

More preening

Checking things out

Checking things out

The itch

The itch

Coming through

Coming through

Another catch and to the top of the dam

Another catch and to the top of the dam

A place to eat

Wondering where to go now

Just going to go somewhere

Just coming through gang!

Stretching

Stretching

Fishing

Fishing

Fishing

Fishing

Fishing

Fishing

More fishing

More fishing

Moving around

Moving around

The flight

The flight

Fishing

Fishing

Fishing

Fishing

Fishing

Fishing

Fishing

Another catch

Another catch

Squeeze the fish

The close-up

The close-up

To the top of the dam, less egrets to fight off for the catch

To the top of the dam, less egrets to fight off for the catch

Believe it or not, it catches this fish and eats it

Believe it or not, it catches this fish and eats it

A little preening above the dam

A little preening above the dam

Walking the dam

Walking the dam

Walking the dam

Walking the dam

Turns around, walks the other way

Turns around, walks the other way

A little more preening

A little more preening

Resting

Resting

More preening

More preening

The landing

The landing

Back to fishing

Scratching

And more fishing

And more fishing

Pose on the dam

Pose on the dam

Walking the dam

Walking the dam

Great Egret with a Great Blue Heron

Great Egret with a Great Blue Heron

Two fishing Great Egrets

A fishing pair

Stalking the prey in the grass

Stalking the prey in the grass

Just being me

Just being me

Moving to a new fishing place

Moving to a new fishing place

Serious fishing

Serious fishing

The catch!

The catch!

The catch!

The catch!

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About admin

Window to Wildlife features the photography of Jim Edlhuber. A lifelong native of Wisconsin, Jim has been photographing wildlife for 20 years. He considers himself an avid photographer and is always trying to capture nature and wildlife through his lens. He is in several photography clubs and has won numerous awards for his work. In recent years, Jim has focused mostly on birding photography and finds it to be the most challenging.

6 Responses to Great Egrets at Echo Park in Burlington Wisconsin on September 29, 2016

  1. Dave F says:

    Incredible series Jim!

  2. Peggy Lison says:

    OMG Jim these are above and beyond. Thanks a trillion for these!!!! Cheers from Peggy in Madison

  3. Janet Schaefer says:

    Amazing! Great series!

  4. Annie says:

    Thanks Jim. What an amazing collection. I could even hear the water fall!!!!!. Sometimes one doesn’t need a rare bird to enjoy the beauty of God’s creatures. Awesome. Thanks

  5. Laura Wentz says:

    So many delightful photos, Jim. It’s hard to pick a favorite but I do really like the ones at the top of the dam with the water moving over.

  6. Susan Gambetta says:

    We were at Echo Park on Wednesday and enjoyed the action. Thanks to those who gave the “heads up” about the area. Never been there before. And thanks for the terrific photos Jim.

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