Great egrets in flight

Near Modoc Point, Oregon, five egrets in flight. Wing span measures about 50 inches, too small for pelicans.  Great egrets are numerous around Upper Klamath Lake and the rivers and marshlands of Southern Oregon.


   
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Photo
Egrets in flight.kmz (737 B)

Good find Diane. But I think they are something other the Great Egrets; those birds don't fly in V formation, but move around as individuals. While Pelicans are certainly a possibility.

Oh...well, here's how I came to that conclusion: I found several photos of them flying together in rough formation. They have a wingspan of 52 to 67 in. and on GE they're about 50-55". The great white pelican and American white pelican have a wingspan of  8.0–9.7 ft. So, that's how I deduced these are great egrets. Since we have so many pelicans, I had first posted them as such - then, I measured the wingspan.  It's unfortunate that on GE the heads are blurry.

Diane, I have never known them to move in flocks. But your image link certainly shows what is a loose V. Live and learn. 

To be fair, there are just as many photos of flocks flying in a disorganized mob, like this:


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Also, I guess it makes a difference whether they are migrating or just flapping around where they live.

cannot imagine, how could I miss it so far!

wandering for some time already; where are our Flocks of birds in flight (by Hill ), more often we have found in oGEC times?

for a long time I have found no other example, have met no new post on subject, so 2 years ago I have decided to revive old thread here on nGEC and share my latest find in one.

after giving further references, here I repost my first ever find to make "crosslinking" complete(:

birds flying in formation.kmz (873 B)

Nice find, syzygy, what do you think they are? I don't think I've noticed any lately, either. My best real-life bird in flight experience was accidentally catching a massive migration of geese directly above my house, returning north. The sound was amazing and they must have gone on for about 2 miles. There was no one around me to share it with. I have never caught another one like that!

Apr 4, 2019 6:12:42 GMT diane9247 said:

Nice find, syzygy, what do you think they are?...

well yep; you cannot see the oGEC thread at the moment (or anymore(?)), so that this is still an open question.

By best guess, some geese however the trialngle behind and the arches-formation in front could be set up by different species.