On my way home from work earlier this week I came across this great egret (Ardea alba) fishing in one of the retention ponds. This pond had completely dried up when things were so dry, but it has filled up again since the rains started. None of the fish in it are very large at this point, but the egret didn’t seem to mind because it was catching something on just about every attempt. Great egrets are extremely patient hunters and tend to stand in one spot, waiting for a fish to swim too close. This is the same hunting style as great blue herons. Some of the other wading birds run around chasing the fish. Both hunting styles seem to be effective for the birds that use them. I watched this bird hunt for about half an hour and I only saw it miss once. It was so enjoyable spending some time watching the bird as the light was fading. It must have eventually gotten enough because it suddenly took off for no apparent reason. I guess it was time to head off to bed down.