ML639082657

Observation details

Continuing immature bird. Greyish overall with a little bit of rusty coloration and dark legs and bill. LIFER for Ashley, and a Virginia lifer for me. When we arrived at Back Bay around 7am we were notified that the bird ("Red") had not yet made an appearance that morning. After a quick scope for the Roseate Tern (no luck), we began our trek south down the beach. Along the way, we passed many birders heading back north who had been unsuccessful in spotting the egret that morning. As we approached the coordinates Red had been reliably viewed from the last few days, we spotted a Whimbrel associating with some Willets on the beach. Suddenly, I heard Ashley exclaim, "Shiitake!" as a large, egret-shaped bird appeared over the dunes, soared directly over our heads, and landed on the beach. It was Red!! We quickly settled onto the sand with another birder and began photographing the bird. Red stood around for a few minutes before wandering into the surf, testing out the waters. Eventually the bird began hunting right in front of us, darting around chasing fish with its wings held high. We observed several successful hunting attempts. More birders joined us, and Red remained completely unfazed by human presence--at one point the bird stood right next to another stationary birder during a brief hiatus from fishing. We enjoyed catching up with birders we knew, and meeting new birders. And, Reddish Egret was the last U.S. egret/heron Ashley needed!