By Sally Siko

Although their numbers have been in decline in recent years, Snowy Egrets are still a relatively common sight in our wetlands and marshy areas of coastal of North Carolina.
With that bright yellow eye cere, the crown-full of white plumes and a menacing stare Snowy Egrets are indeed a striking bird to photograph, especially in the slanting light of an early morning.

Don’t let their delicate appearance fool you though. These beautiful birds are expert hunters, deadly assassins to fish, crustaceans, small invertebrates and insects alike.
Wading through shallow waters, they’ll use their yellow toes to stir up the mud in order to flush out a snack buried beneath their feet.
Once the prey tries darts away they’ll strike with deadly precision often impaling their meal with its bill before swallowing it whole.

Snowy’s are a year round resident of coastal NC, however since they are a migratory species as well, your odds of seeing one are better duration the spring, and months.
They are also noted as post breeding transient visitors to the Piedmont region and western NC from late July to September in inland areas of the state.
Aren’t they lovely?

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my beloved full frame 50MP beast, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds