Thanks Kenn!

Yes, I was primarily keying on the dark upper mandible, and the bill looks
very heavy compared with some field guides. Had I thought about it at the
time - rather than when I was looking at pics - I could have waited to see
leg color. I guess black legs are characteristic of the Great Egret. In
another quick pic of a bird on top of the rock dike on the same day, I
clearly see black legs. I do not know if it is the same bird, but it also
has a blackish upper mandible.

"Dr. Bob" Setzer
Streamwood Estates, Rochester Hills (Crooks & Hamlin), Oakland County

"Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day."   Teaching a man to "bird"
is much harder!
Blog: http://drbobsbirdblog.blogspot.com/




-----Original Message-----
From: Kenn Kaufman [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, May 03, 2010 1:11 AM
To: Robert Setzer; [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [Ohio-birds] I finished my Magee Marsh Blog. Great White Heron?

Hi Dr. Bob --

Nice account of Magee, and very good photos.  About the heron -- the photos
actually show a Great Egret in nearly full breeding color.  Of course Great
Egret has an all-yellow bill for most of the year, but in breeding condition

it develops a lot of blackish along the ridge of the upper mandible and a
lot of dark green on the bare facial skin in front of the eye.  It can look
startling if you're accustomed to seeing their usual appearance at other
times of year, and most field guides don't show this seasonal color change
very well.  The "Great White Heron" of Florida would have a bigger-headed
look and a thicker neck, and its bill would look even larger than on the
bird in the photos.

Kenn Kaufman
Oak Harbor, Ohio


----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Setzer" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2010 9:59 PM
Subject: [Ohio-birds] I finished my Magee Marsh Blog. Great White Heron?


>I played with my pics tonight and put a sample on my blog about the Magee
> Marsh (Ohio) trip we took last week.
>
>
http://drbobsbirdblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/crane-creek-state-park-magee-mars
> h-ohio.html
>
>
>
> I do have one question. I have pics of what I call a "Great White Heron" -

> a
> morph of the Great Blue Heron. Is this the bird? Thanks!
>
>
>
> Enjoy! Go bird Magee! It is a great place!!!
>
>
>
> "Dr. Bob" Setzer
>
> Streamwood Estates, Rochester Hills (Crooks & Hamlin), Oakland County
>
>
>
> "Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day."   Teaching a man to "bird"
> is much harder!
>
> Blog:  <http://drbobsbirdblog.blogspot.com/>
> http://drbobsbirdblog.blogspot.com/
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
>
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______________________________________________________________________

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Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
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