Prettiest Egrets On the Island

Cattle Egrets rookery at Half Acre

While passing through the parish of St. Lucy this afternoon, I could not resist the opportunity to visit the Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus ibis) rookery at Half Acre.

five juvenile Black-crowned Night-Herons

The rookery is mainly a Cattle Egret one but I saw five juvenile Black-crowned Night-Herons (Nycticorax nycticorax), suggesting that this nocturnal heron also nested there this year.  A Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) in breeding plumage, two Snowy Egrets (Egretta thula) were wading in the pond just below the nesting trees and three  Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis) on the bank.  Egret rookeries are noisy and smelly but it presents the best odds of seeing what I consider the prettiest Egret/Heron species on the island, the Cattle Egret in full breeding plumage and I was happy to find many examples there.  As I approached the primary nesting area I startled a mongoose. Mongooses normally prey on anything that falls from nest such as eggs, chicks, even an unsuspecting parent.  The birds were collecting nest-building materials and a few were sitting on nests, but I did not see any chicks.

Cattle Egret in breeding plumage

In prime breeding plumage, everything on the egret that is yellow turns a shade of pinkish red to purple. The normally yellow facial skin at the base of the bill, becomes a rich purplish color, the bill from base to about ¾ of its length turns a bright red,  the yellow iris of the eye, a blood red and the legs pinkish.  Golden plumage on head, breast and back.  I am sure you would agree with me that these are beautiful birds.

Egret collecting nest-building material

Full breeding plumage

Breeding plumage

Egrets nesting tree