Reddish Egret Wow!

Yesterday I had a wonderful, lucky opportunity to photograph this Reddish Egret, called Ding 1 as she did canopy feeding right in front of me at the tower pond in Ding Darling NWR! She has a satellite/GPS transmitter on her back and is one of the Reddish Egrets being studied by the Avian Research and Conservation Institute (with support from the refuge) since Reddish Egrets are the most rare heron here and maybe in decline. Here she also is this year with her mate, Ding 2, a male who has white feathers in his plumage and is banded on his right leg while she is banded on her left leg. Reddish Egrets are famed for their active "dancing" feeding positions as they hunt for small fish. So great they are being studied to learn more about how to protect the habitat they need. For more see,

http://arci-avianconservation.blogspot.com/2015/10/happy-tagging-anniversary-for-ding-2.html