I was watching this Great Egret on the beach during one of my twice daily walks. FYI, all photos are from my iphone since I left my Nikon and telephoto lens at home.
What does it mean if you see an egret?
In many cultures, people often consider seeing a white egret as a good omen. They symbolize prosperity and success.
https://behrphotoart.com/blogs/news/great-white-egret-symbolism#
I had to look this guy up. He’s a Long-Billed Curlew.
The Long-billed Curlew is North America’s largest shorebird and is a member of the sandpiper family, Scolopacidae. Although it is considered a wading shorebird, it is primarily ground-dwelling, using short-growth grassland prairies for survival. The genus, Numenius, is Greek and refers to the crescent-shaped bill.
https://sanctuarysimon.org/dbtools/species-database/id/649/numenius/americanus/long-billed-curlew#
These guys are Sandpipers.
Sandpipers have long bodies and legs, and narrow wings. Most species have a narrow bill, but the form and length are variable. They are small to medium-sized birds, measuring 12 to 66 cm (4.7–26.0 in) in length. The bills are sensitive, allowing the birds to feel the mud and sand as they probe for food. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandpiper
This gull was checking us out for snacks. They are very crafty and can get into bags of food the minute you walk away. Fortunately, we haven’t been taking snacks to the beach.
Seagulls are widely considered to be intelligent birds, exhibiting problem-solving skills, memory, and complex communication. They are known to learn from experience, adapt to different environments, and even pass on learned behaviors.
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/how-identify/identify-gulls
The shore birds are different than my desert bird buddies. What they have in common is they are all fun to watch. I doubt I’ll get a chance to make friends with shore birds the way I have Red and Mrs. I hope you enjoyed my short lesson on Shore Birds. I learned about them by writing this post!
Which Shore Bird do you like best out of these four species?
Do you have any of these birds where you live?
We ran into this flock during an evening walk. I’m thinking they are Plovers. Anyone know for sure?
I’ve seen a different type of Egret in some of the marsh areas of Puget Sound, and of course the gulls all over the beaches and even inland scavenging at the garbage centers. Now that I’m in CO I doubt I’ll encounter many birds like this but I’m learning already that we have many common birds to WA but also some unique ones as well. Hope you’re enjoying yourself EA!
Yes, I was thinking of all the gulls in the Puget Sound and some herons and egrets, too. I’m finally feeling relaxed and getting through a few challenges stronger each day — stairs and scrambling over a few boulders to get to the beach.
I adore walking along the beach and watching shore birds. That first photo is stunning… but I think the video might be of terns. They appear too large for plovers and I’ve never known that species to congregate in such large numbers.
Beautiful all the same.
❤️
All my focus on bird photography at home made me notice the shore birds like I haven’t before. Thanks for telling me about terns. I will look them up and see if that fits.
I love the shot of the egret. I was at the beach this past Saturday and I took a few gull shots. Of course I was being lazy and snapped them from my beach chair….they’ll be in sunday’s post
Fun. I enjoy watching a whole new scenario of birds on our vacation.
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😊
Oh love your bird pixs. Gulls really are crafty aren’t they. They’re the safe-cracking bank thieves of the aviary world! Ha ha.
Well said! Gulls are the thieves of all birds.
Shore birds are nothing but thieves.
I can’t argue with that.
These are great photos with your phone!
Thank you! I didn’t want to carry my big camera and lens on beach walks, plus we get sand everywhere!
Your pictures are very good Elizabeth.
Thanks! Even without my real camera, I’m enjoying photography.
You’re doing a great job of it.
Thank you 😊
You’re welcome. In fact pics taken from phone seldom are so clear and detailed
That’s so sweet! 🥹
😍
That seagull picture is wonderful, Elizabeth! Even with your phone camera, it seems like all that you’ve been perfecting shines through. Amazing!
Thank you! That’s quite the compliment 😊
Incredible shots, E.A.! My home backed up to the canal, so I used to see Great Egrets out my window fairly frequently. And, sometimes, I’ll see gulls at Tempe Town Lake.
Wow. I didn’t know Great Egrets were in Arizona. My daughter lived in Tempe before we moved out here. We used to take her dog for a walk at the Tempe beach park. I loved walking across the bridge. We’d see gulls there.
Yes, they spend time at the canal, some of the lakes, and the Indian Bend wash when it floods during rain. There are some really neat bird here in Phoenix.
👍🏼
Hope you are getting stronger and enjoying the view.
I am tired, but getting stronger. I huffed and puffed on my first beach walk. Now I’m going on two a day, much longer than day one.
We have pretty much the same birds around here. My favorite birds that I see by the ocean are the pelicans. I love to see them fly in formation.
I love the pelicans too. I haven’t had any luck in photographing them yet!
It’s been a while since I’ve seen any egrets. We get sandpipers and gulls, though. I’m not strong on shorebird identification, but some people here are quite good at it. We have a small reservoir nearby that attracts a lot of wading birds when the irrigation is shut off and the water level drops considerably.
I’m enjoying a nice variety of birds at the beach. I’m sure your wading birds they love being in the water.
A lot of good sightings Elizabeth. The birds in flight are probably Terns of some sort. Not knowing American birds, can’t put down to a particular type of tern.
Thanks! I’ve been looking up terns and I think you’re correct. I can’t figure out what kind of tern, either. There are three species where we are.
More time at the beach is needed
Amen to that!
We have tons of shore birds, as we live close to the beach. The ones I see daily at our home are White Ibis. I love watching them search for bugs. (as long as the bugs are not my monarch caterpillars! HA)
These are lovely photos and I hope you enjoyed your visits to the beach. The seagulls are savage, but hey, they gotta eat too!
You are so lucky to live close to the beach. I haven’t heard of an Ibis before.
Now that I think about it, they may not be shorebirds! I do see them all around town so not just by the beach.
I have to look them up. You’ve picked my curiosity. Thank goodness they leave your Monarch butterfly’s alone.