April 12, 2005 - rookery real estate

Here's something you see a lot in the early days of nesting – turf wars. The egret at center arrives with nesting material...


...and the egret at right attempts to drive the newcomer away.

But nesting spots are worth fighting for...

...and after a display of bravado...

...it's the egret on the right that gives way – and it wouldn't be unusual to see it go off to displace another bird. (Click here to see more egrets in action.)