Port Royal Rookery
Great Egret Plumage Display
If you're a bird lover on the lookout for a fascinating sight, then you should definitely visit the Port Royal Rookery in South Carolina. Nestled within the enchanting cypress wetlands, this rookery is a true haven for hundreds, if not thousands, of amazing bird species. Here, you'll be greeted by a symphony of calls and a flurry of feathers, as egrets, herons, ibises, and wood storks go about their rituals of nesting, resting, and courtship. If you are lucky, you’ll also see hatchlings to juveniles. The best part? A convenient boardwalk stretches along the rookery, making it effortless for you to find the perfect spot and capture breathtaking photos of these beautiful creatures. For more information about the Port Royal Cypress Wetlands rookery, visit friendsofportroyalcypresswetlands.org or visit portroyal.org.
The beginning - Hatchlings
The Great Egret hatchlings are a true marvel to behold. Their small bodies are adorned with a soft and delicate down, and their expressive nature shines through their captivating eyes. These curious creatures are constantly filled with wonder, their gaze fixated on the world around them. From their very first moments of life, Great Egret hatchlings display their natural curiosity by intently observing their surroundings. With their heads held high, they gaze out into the vast expanse of their habitat, taking in every detail of the natural wonders that surround them. It is as if they are born with an innate sense of awe, expressing their astonishment through their inquisitive eyes.
Hatchlings also engage in playful moments of sibling rivalry. Hunger pangs lead to amusing encounters as they compete for food from mom, their beaks interlocked in a ferocious game of tug-of-war.
However, it is during their leisurely hangs together that the true beauty of their expressive nature unfolds. Plump bodies huddled close, they create a cozy circle of warmth and companionship.
Then - Juvenile Herons and a “Calico” Little Blue Heron
Here we have juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night Herons (likely but it can be hard to distinguish them from Black-crowned Night Herons and Green Herons. I had never seen before a calico little blue heron. As juveniles Little Blue Herons start out with white plumage but after the first year it loses this plumage and sports these two tone colors during its second year before it gains its full blue purple plumage as an adult.
Finally - Adulthood
Even after many hours watching and photographing these birds, I still need to look up which Heron I’ve captured. These photographs display mostly tricolored herons (which you can tell by their white bellies and white stripe down the neck). The other is a Yellow-crowned Night Heron, which is aptly named for its wispy yellow feathers atop it’s head. While the rookery is not large, if you follow the boardwalk past the rookery you’ll find a more sheltered, spanish-moss draped section which is where the Yellow-crowned Night Herons were. This was an overcast day but the natural of the blue gray moss creates almost an ethereal feel. THis contrasts with the White Ibis perched in the treetops. This Ibis reflects the breeding season, with its bill and legs a much brighter red than usual and the gular sac (or wattle) under its chin. In doing some research on this this gular sac is only visible for about 10 days in mating season. Lucky that he was very easy to spot!
There are many websites that help you identify birds one I highly recommend is The Cornell Labs allaboutbirds.org site. From there you can link to their Merlin Bird App that they says can identify more that 10,000 birds - plus it has a feature called Sound ID where it can identify birds by their song.
