Rondeau Ric

We were told about a rookery of great egrets in Norfolk Virginia. The directions included the standard " you can't miss it". In this case it was true, at least 50 nests in several trees with an amazing number of egrets flying around. Ardea alba. The Great Egret is the symbol of the National Audubon Society, one of the oldest environmental organizations in North America. Audubon was founded to protect birds from being killed for their feathers. The oldest known Great Egret was 22 years, 10 months old and was banded in Ohio.

You also can't outrun them. All you need to be is faster than one other person in your group. We saw this bear up in a tree while we were in Virginia a few weeks back. At first it looked like a plywood silhouette cut out and then it moved.

This is a cane brake rattlesnake we saw in the Great Dismal Swamp. It was beside a boardwalk and I was unable to get a face on shot. I like the colours and patterning. Crotalus horridus. Timber rattlesnakes, which are called canebrake rattlesnake in the Coastal Plain of the Southeast, are large, heavy bodied snakes with the characteristic rattles on the end of the tail. Adults range from 30-60 in (76-152 cm) with the record being more than 6 feet (183 cm) long.

Prothonotary warblers are a rare sight in Canada. They only occur in southern Ontario close to Lake Erie. Recently we were in Virginia at The Great Dismal Swamp and there were prothonotarys all over. In one short stretch of path we had 6 males chasing each other and displaying on territory. One mans common bird is another mans rarity. Protonotaria citrea The Prothonotary Warbler is one of only two warbler species that nest in cavities. (Lucy's Warbler is the other.) The name "Prothonotary" refers to clerks in the Roman Catholic church, whose robes were bright yellow.

We saw these egrets at a rookery in Norfolk Virginia. The nesting site is at the curb of a busy road and  is in someones front yard. We counted at least 50 nests in the tree. There was a steady stream of birds coming in with small branches and twigs. Ardea alba.  The Great Egret is the symbol of the National Audubon Society, one of the oldest environmental organizations in North America. Audubon was founded to protect birds from being killed for their feathers. The oldest known Great Egret was 22 years, 10 months old and was banded in Ohio.