Snowy Egret,Egretta thula.
April 13 to May 26+ and July 24 to October 20. Very uncommon transient in spring, fairly
common transient in small numbers during late summer and early fall. There are also a
few scattered mid-summer records, but no record of nesting. A flock of 10 was present at
Bob Kidd Lake from at least September 12 - October 3, 1987.
Little Blue Heron,Egretta caerulea.
April 12 to October 26. Common migrant and local summer resident. This species is most
numerous during late summer and early fall when it appears along streams and at
impoundments throughout the region. The first nesting record occurred in 1985 when
100 or more adults with young in nests were observed in a heronry near Lincoln on May 17.
Cattle Egrets were nesting in the same colony. The site was an overgrown field, with the
nests placed in winged elms and cedars, and was near a poultry farm. Two hundred adults
with about 15 nests were found at Fayetteville in late June 1987. Vegetation at both
Lincoln and Fayetteville was subsequently cut to keep the birds from nesting in future
seasons as the colonies were considered nuisances. The birds returned to a new nesting
site at Fayetteville in 1988.