Egret Watching

Grey Heron

Length: 90-98cm. Four subspecies are known and Ardea cinerea jouyi is the race appeared in Japan. The Grey Heron is a resident in most part of Japan, found in wide variety of the situation such as lakeshores, tidal flats, rice fields, rivers, or marshes. Its dignified body overwhelms other heron and egret species. The Grey Heron shows light grey and dark grey in wings in flight with slow wingbeats, almost same as or rather slower than the Great White Egret. About the related species, the Great Blue Heron which occurs throughout North and Central America, the number of their wingbeats was studied and the result was 2.8-3.2 beats per second (McAllister & Maxwell 1971). The Grey heron flies with small up and down motion like a seesaw. It often appears in the evening in flight and sometimes croaks “kark”. The Grey Heron sometimes stands with its wings spread toward the sun like a sunbathing. The Grey Heron often stands motionlessly at the water’s edge during in the daytime and nocturnal foraging is very common. One day I saw a Grey Heron flying over to a little tern’s colony. “Hey, wait a minute! “ I thought. At that time the Grey Heron looked like “King Gidora”, the monster fought with Godzilla. A large formation of the Little Tern, looked like toy fighter aircrafts, immediately made a scramble takeoff and repelled the enemy. In another Little Tern colony, I saw a Grey Heron attacked by a Little Tern going into steep climb and dive repeatedly like an acrobat flying. At that time, too, the Grey Heron flied away. The Grey Heron usually feeds solitary, however, in the period of nest leave, young and adult Grey Herons form a flock in the place that has abundant feed. When returning to the roost, the Grey Heron mostly fly alone. The Grey Heron feed in shallow water, rice field or tidal flat where they find prey- fishes, amphibians, reptiles, insects and small mammals. They often build their nests on top of tall trees and form a colony. Nesting time is the earliest in other Egret spices- it starts middle of March- and its nesting invites other Egret nesting according to the study by Mashiko 2014. Different from other Egret spices, the young Grey Heron can be identified to a certain degree: an adult ,a juvenile , and a 2nd-winter. In an adult winter plumage, the upper bill has tinge with black.　. 　　　　　　　　

Great White Egret

　　　　　　　　

Length: 85-102cm. Four subspecies are known and Ardea alba modesta is the subspecies appeared in Japan. （Ardea alba modesta）. The Great White Egret occurs through most of East Asia and Australia. One of the subspecies, the Ardea alba alba, breeds in most of Eurasia and migrates to Japan in winter. the Ardea alba alba can be distinguished from the Ardea alba modesta by its size - larger than the Ardea alba modesta - and by its tarsus color-slightly pale yellow. If both subspecies stand side by side, identification for both is easy; however, such situation is so uncommon that the identification is difficult in usual situation. The Ardea alba alba mainly nests in reed beds (Cramp & Simmons 1977). The Ardea alba modesta nests on the top or near the top of a tall tree. The race breeding in the highway loops is, needless to say, the Ardea alba modesta. This white and elegant bird looks attractive in rice field, river, and tidal flat, and looks like a prima donna. The Great White Egret has wades in water, sometimes in deep water, feeds alone or in group, sometimes in head tilting during walk.(picture) They catch fishes, reptiles, and amphibian. They often occur in tidal flat with large flocks of the Common Cormorant. Once the Common Cormorant starts the act of fishing in flocks, group of the Great White Egret try to catch the fish escaping from the Common Cormorant. In many cases, because of the too much powerfulness of Common Egret fishing, the Great White Egret just watches the fishing with overwhelmed countenance.The body size and weight between male and female is slightly different; male is slightly larger and heavier than female (Herring, 2008). Identification from the Intermediate Egret can be confused, in particular,in flight. The color of bill is usually yellow and it changes to black in summer plumage with long, beautiful plumes on the back. Why they have evolved in such a distinguishable white color? Probably an adaptation strategy in distinguishable white body, that can be easily found each other to feed in group and to form a colony, surpasses the risk of being preyed in distinguishable white body.

Intermediate Egret

　

Length: 65-72cm. The Intermediate Egret occurs widely from South East Asia, India, Africa, to Australia. Three subspecies are known, and one of them, the Egretta intermedia intermedia, is the subspecies appeared in Japan. They migrate from South East Asia to Japan around middle of April.The Intermediate Egret , as the name implies, is the middle size Egret and is designated as one of the “semi-endangered” on the Red List of Ministry of the Environment.An elegant courtship display of a male Intermediate Egret attracts not only a female Egret but also observers.The male Intermediate Egret spreads its plumes widely, such as a peafowl, and erects its breast feathers up and forward, then raises its head up and squats down vigorously with fluttered plumes and breast feathers gracefully. What a beautiful courtship! Probably the beauty of courtship movements with plumes and breast feathers causes the success rate of courtship. The Intermediate Egret, a white poetic charm in a greenly shining rural rise field in Japanese summer, often protrudes its white neck and head from the top of rice plants.It is rare that the Intermediate Egret feeds on a tidal flat, but mainly feeds on a rice field, preying on insects, reptiles, and amphibian. The figure of the flying Intermediate Egret is most pleasingly proportioned among the Egrets.(picture).The number of the Intermediate Egret peaks on the end of August in the colony. During this period, the Intermediate Egret often makes a flock with the Cattle Egret when they fly back to the nest. To go back to the South East Asia, the number of the Intermediate Egret gradually decreases from the middle of September and disappears in October.

　　　　　　　　

Little Egret

　

Length:55-65cm. The Little Egret occurs widely in Japan, through the Korean Peninsula to China, Europe, coastal Africa, and Australia. Six subspecies are known and Egretta garzetta garzetta is the subspecies appeared in Japan.The Snowy Egret, very similar to the Little Egret, occurs mainly in North America. The Little Egret is a resident in Japan, staying in the almost same location all year. The Little Egret mainly feed in rice fields, in the mouth of a river, on a tidal flat, and so on. The Little Egret has characteristic yellow feet which look like yellow slippers, and two or three lanceolate plumes from the nape. When the Little Egret feed, sometimes it uses its foot to shake the water rapidly, surprising prey, and catches it. Because of the long bills and short legs, flying style of the Little Egret looks the most unbalance among the Egrets but this is one of the sweet points of the Little Egret. Its yellow feet are a useful identification point when flying but the feet are sometimes covered with mud. If this Little Egret with mud on its feet appears in fly in front of observers, this may cause an identification dispute. The lanceolate plumes, so called crest, often come off in winter but sometimes an individual with the crest in winter appears. Juveniles do not have the crest.（Juvenile) During the brief courtship period in high breeding season, typically the end of April to the end of May, Egret watching is more enjoyable. Its lores in yellow-green turn to bright pink, looks like a drunk, and its yellow feet also turn to red. In courtship display, they move its head rapidly upward and stretch its neck, and then bend down its neck, again, head upward repeatedly many times. The Little Egret fly back to the colony or the roost individually or in small flock, not seems to form a large flock. But sometimes the Little Egret mixes in flock of the other Egrets. If you can identify that Little Egret among the other flock, that will make you feel very proud. After breeding season, they leave the colony and form a small flock during winter. One beautiful and tranquil full moon night, I saw a flock of the Little Egret, sleeping, standing together side by side in the rice field with shallow water. The shadow of the Little Egrets blurry reflected on the surface of water and the blue moonlight softly pouring on the water blended together, creating a beautiful moon night dream.

　　　　　　　　

Cattle Egret

　

Length:50-56cm. The Cattle Egret occurs widely in Japan, the East Asia, North America and Australia. Two subspecies are known and Bubulcus ibis coromandus, one of the subspecies, migrates from the South East to Japan on April. The Cattle Egret has beautiful orange plumage on its head and back.（flying）In winter plumage, the orange portion changes to white after breeding period. The Cattle Egret often forms a flock both in fly and on the ground, and feed mainly insects on a footpath between rice fields.（picture） The most interesting feeding behavior can be seen in rice reaping season in fall. When a combine reaps the rice or a tractor turns soil, the Cattle Egret often follows the machine to feed insects which jump out from the rice or soil.（picture） Interestingly the Cattle Egret has no cautiousness about the operator of the machine as long as the operator is on the machine but once the operator gets off the machine or another person approaches to, the Cattle Egret shows its cautiousness and flies away. In high breeding season, the yellow bill turns to tropical red and orange plumage turns to more bright orange. If you see the Cattle Egret from the front, it looks like a lion.About its courtship display, I haven’t seen any distinct courtship display so far, but only seen its head and back orange feathers slightly ruffled up. Since the orange plumage is changed to white plumage around August to September, it is getting to be difficult to distinguish the Cattle Egret from Intermediate Egret or Little Egret, in particular, in fly. The Cattle Egret often forms flock on a path between rice fields with adult and young after the middle of August.（picture）　The Intermediate Egret often appears in the Cattle Egret flock.（picture）The reason may be that both the Cattle and Intermediate Egret feed the same prey.

　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　

Black-crowned Night Heron

　

Length:58-65cm. The Black-crowned Night Heron occurs widely in Japan, through Korean Peninsula to China, India, Africa, North and South America, and East Asia. Four subspecies are known.（picture）The Black-crowned Night Heron appears in Japan all year round but some of them migrate to South East Asia. The Black-crowned Night Heron is a nocturnal bird, mostly they stay in the roost of trees during daytime, but in breeding season, they feed on prey even in daytime to carry the prey to the nest. It feed in rice fields, rivers, ponds and shallow waterside, but rarely appears on tidal flats. In the evening, toward sunset, while other Egret species flying back to the colony, the Black-crowned Night Heron flies off from its roost to the feeding area. （picture）　The proportion in flying is so cute that it can be a stuffed animal just as it is. If you observe rice fields at night, you may find the Black-crowned Night Heron feeding on prey, but under the dark moon light, only with your binocular, it will be difficult to watch, besides, you might be informed to police as you are a suspicious person. Be careful!! Usually the Black-crowned Night Heron folds up its neck and stay quietly but when catch a prey it extends its neck.（picture) The young bird looks different from the adult.（picture）When a typhoon came to a colony of the Black-crowned Night Heron, I went to the colony to observe its situation. In pouring rain and strong wind, one Black-crowned Night Heron brooding in the nest fell from the nest. It clung to a branch desperately, trying not to fall, but the rain and the strong wind relentlessly attacked. Even in such a situation, the Black-crowned Night Heron could never forget its hatch. The Black-crowned Night Heron looked up at its nest worriedly, and were staying for long time.（picture).