This past Tuesday, after a long series of rainy days, I finally went to the rookery right next to the Welcome Center in Ocean City, NJ. There were hundreds of egrets, ibises, night herons, and smaller birds. Within a few minutes, I saw a Great Egret standing and preening itself over four eggs!
A few minutes later it was back down and incubating again. The incubation lasts from 23 to 27 days.
Meanwhile, a White Ibis was much further along, with at least three hatchlings visible next to it.
There was a small pond filled with rain water and various birds and ducks were there drinking or swimming around.
Meanwhile some birds were flying over the bay to look for food for their growing and hungry families.
neihtn 
Your photos are as ever … wonderful! What a super place to visit …
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Thank you very much, Julie! It is a fascinating place that can attract many photographers, whether amateurs or professionals.
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Hien, these are all excellent behavior shots. Really enjoyed seeing all the nest.
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You would have enjoyed being at the Ocean City Welcome Center. They built it right next to the rookery, and many people have been able to photograph or film all these activities.
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Interesting! When I lived in northern NJ, back in the 1960s, I think sighting an ibis would have been unusual, even down in Ocean City. I could be wrong but that was a long time ago and a lot has changed. It’s great to see both the egret and ibis on their nests and I like the odd position of the drinking ibis. On our island, which is adjacent to the mainland, there’s a huge Great blue heron rookery, possibly the largest on the west coast. I’m part of a team that monitors the nests from 3 webcams that were set up in the rookery in winter, when the birds are absent. It’s part of a long-term study on rookery productivity. You can imagine how exciting it is to watch the birds arrive, add sticks to their nests, mate, lay eggs (I’ve never seen that but I’ve seen lots of eggs) and then see the nestlings growing up.
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I didn’t know you have been so active with a rookery! Have you posted photos of it on your blog?
Now that you mention it, I have never seen Great Blue Herons at this rookery in Ocean City. Maybe they stay at the Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge about 16 miles up North.
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I have not posted about it, mainly because the trust that owns the land doesn’t want too much publicity about the rookery, to keep it safe. I wonder if the G.B. herons tend to only nest with other GB herons? I remember visiting a mixed rookery in S. Carolina but I don’t remember GB herons there. (I just looked at photos, which aren’t very good, but they show a Tricolored heron and lots of White ibis). Nature is endlessly fascinating, isn’t it?
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Nest never look that great from the outside yet they must be cosy on the inside and well-built!
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You are right, of course. Sometimes, I wonder how the birds manage when it rains, especially when there is a big storm.
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So cute, and lovely!
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Glad you think so, Marcella!
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Great shots, Hien! Fun to see all the action at the rookery. I find the Great Egret hatchlings particularly endearing. 🙂
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Thanks, Eliza! The egret hatchlings do look cute, compared to the heron or ibis babies.
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It’s marvelous that you got to observe these beautiful birds in a place that’s reserved for them, Hien, and kind of you to share your fantastic photos and impressive knowledge of them.
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Thank you Tim! You should see this place with all the people walking around with their big lenses and photographing the birds!
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Wonderful!
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Thank you Cindy!
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Lovely shots of the nests and chicks. 👏
Awww…our feathered friends…🥰
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Babies are always cute, and with birds they grow up fast and only take a few months to grow up and leave their nests.
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I’ve never seen photos of nesting egrets before! Thank you for getting the photos,
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I went to this rookery a few years ago for the first time, was amazed at what I saw and have been back almost every year since then. There are other rookeries elsewhere, but this one in Ocean City is the only one where you can stand eye-level or above the nests and observe the bird activities. When the hatchlings are more mature, they will demand more and more food every day, and then we can see the harried parents flying constantly in and out of their nests to look for fish to bring back to their progeny.
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They must be fascinating to watch in person!
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