Young Egrets on Nest

At a rookery which is shared with great blue herons on a small island in the James D. Martin Wildlife Park, Gadsden, Alabama - a wetland that is part of the Coosa River watershed. I first noticed a number of egrets in the trees on the island as I drove along I759 into Gadsden and wondered if it could be a rookery. I decided to investigate further. The island was some distance across the water (see then note - upper left) from the Gadsden Mall parking lot which is where I went to take photos. Because of the distance, (based on Google Earth view over 750 feet), even at maximum zoom, I was essentially shooting blind. But happily, by cropping, I managed to get some fairly decent shots. During the winter the trees are occupied by numerous wintering cormorants. (IMG_1684)