“Great Caesar’s ghost,” exclaimed the editor of that mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper who, disguised as Clark Kent, fought a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American Way. Look! Up in the sky. It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Superman.
“Great Egret,” would be the shouted exclamation should it ever return for another long visit to Angelkeep. It became Angelkeep’s good fortune that this bird decided to descend and spend the better part of one day standing around Angelpond. It descended on a windy day filled with warnings of 60-mph gusts. One of those gusts nearly blew Great Egret off his feet while being videoed by a camera inside the house. Great Egret may have stopped to enjoy a bit of a rest from the wind in the more sheltered pond location.
Yes, indeed Great Egret (capitalized out of Great Respect) was male. In reality, at another time of year determining gender would have been impossible. Great Egret arrived while yet wearing a flirtatious, mate-seeking wardrobe. In winter and early springtime Great Egret has long, filmy, feathery quills dangling all about his body. On the windy day of observation those plumes fluttered all about Great Egret, like giant pompoms of a cheerleader trying to arouse fans. It had much the same effect as a peacock spreading its plumed tail. Dozens of photos captured the feathery alluring display.
Although it had not been the exact intention of Great Egret, his intent being to attract a female great egret, Great Egret certainly had two Angelkeep humans falling in love with him. Such beauty, and all in pure white feather. Coal black legs and feet, and the yellow-orange long beak came with a flirtatious chartreuse color surrounding a beady black eye.
Once all wispy breeding plumbs were shed, Great Egret, would look like a smaller version of a great blue heron, but white. “Great Caesar’s ghost!” Great blue heron’s ghost would be more accurate.
Gwen recalled memories of Florida’s cattle egrets. It was a smaller variation that liked riding on the back of grazing cows. They have a yellow bill and legs. There was also a great white heron with a pinkish-gray coloring to bill and legs. Neither of those cousins compared to the courtship quill display fluttered by Great Egret.
Male Great Egrets were killed, nearly wiped out, for those white plumes in the late 1800s. Victorian women bejeweled clothing accessories, like hats, to attract the love of a rich male. This happened well before the advent of mini-skirted women-liberators. Apparently plumes personified passion.
Great Egret became the National Audubon Society symbol. Audubon’s online map identified it as nonexistent in most of Indiana. Indiana’s toe had an uncommon breeding season to capture a sighting. After posting a Facebook photo of this “rare Great Egret” a Fort Wayne birdwatcher corrected immediately. “Early but not really rare.”
“Great Caesar’s ghost!”
Photos added to comments came from sites including Eagle Marsh Nature Preserve. Nobody secured a photo of a male displaying courtship feather attire.
Climate change calculations predicted the typical range of Great Egret to move northward, being quite normal in Indiana while lost to Florida and the far south. Although fearful of starting a climate change debate, after Angelkeep witnessed its first Great Egret visit, the change seemed to be a good thing. Angelkeep would love for Great Egret to come courting and displaying again.
When this bird flies the long neck forms a tight “S” figure. The egrets nest in colonies. Both male and female feed the nestlings through regurgitation. Now that’s not a pretty image, certainly not as attractive as Great Egret trying to persuade a female toward a romantic affair.
Great Egret, also known as common egret or American egret, eats mostly fish, but adds crustaceans, frogs, snakes, and aquatic insects. Hopefully Great Egret will remember that exact bounty displayed at Angelpond and return with a spouse for an evening of dining out, followed by a bit of love-making.
“Great Caesar’s ghost!” Can that be printed in a great metropolitan Bluffton News-Banner?
Look! Up in the sky. It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Great Egret.
Mr. Daugherty is a Wells County resident who, along with his wife Gwen, enjoy their backyard and have named it “Angelkeep.”
