Snowy Egret Archives - Window to Wildlife - Photography by Jim Edlhuber

This is a great bird for the area, more of a southern species, but they are seen in the state every year it seems. I made the run over to Lincoln Park after the word got out about the Snowy Egret. I heard Tom Wood was the finder of this visiting bird and got the word out for others to come see it, thank you Tom! The park has many sandbars on the Milwaukee River and is a big open area. The Snowy Egret never was close but I took a few distant shots to share. The bird did some feeding on the river and moved around a little, gave a nice show from a distance. It starting preening on a log and looked like not much was going to be going on for awhile and I left. Hope it hangs around for others to see it. It was a nice sunny morning, with temps around 60 degrees. Images were taken on May 17, 2021.

The Snowy Egret at a distance, looking for something to eat…

In search of something to eat…

Doing some preening…

The ride paid off for the report of the Snowy Egret at Fort Atkinson in Jefferson County. It was still present when I arrived at 3:25 pm far off the road in a flooded field. This location is just east of the city on Hwy 106, south side of the highway. A life bird for me which made it exciting. Images were taken on May 29, 2014.

Great Egret – left, Snowy Egret, right

Snowy Egret

Binomial name: Egretta thula

Category: Bittern, Herons, and Allies

Size: 24” long, 41” wing span

Weight: 13 oz.

Habitat: Typically they are found on most coasts of the US and Mexico but sometimes can be found breeding inland in wetland areas, mudflats and beaches. They forage in both freshwater and marine habitats preferring shallow sheltered estuarine areas. The breeding range is from the lower Great Lakes and southwestern US to South America.

Diet: Fish, crustacean, insects and smaller reptiles.

Nesting: They nest in colonies, usually with other wading birds. They like platform type nests made of sticks in trees or shrubs. The nests are flat 14”-18” across, 8”-13” high, lined with rushes, grasses, sedges and twigs. 3-4 eggs are incubated by both adults before the young leave the nest which is 20-25 days.