Praveen Raj spotted the Intermediate Egret above at the Lake Pulicat Bird Sanctuary, near Tada. The largest brackish lake or lagoon in India, it straddles the Andhra Pradesh/Tamil Nadu border. The Pulicat Lake Bird Lovers Society is one of the organizations working to promote environmental awareness and protection for the lake which is under threat from the run-off from farms and factories.
Egrets and herons are very closely related and belong to the same family. Egrets are generally white, often with black feet and legs and yellow bills, while herons exhibit a greater variety of colors. Herons seek higher perches, and egrets prefer to stand in shallow water.
The pigeons and the third egret above were seen in Chennai, as was the rooster.
To learn more about the lake on a website put up by the Pulicat Lake Bird Lovers Society, click here.
To view more photos on Praveen Raj’s Facebook page, click here.
Photos: Courtesy of Praveen Raj, frozen through herbi lens