The Great Egret preening at sunrise (photo by Sam Boatman)

[sohappytobehere]

Photo taken here in The Villages by Sam Boatman.

[Taltarzac725]

Photo taken here in The Villages by Sam Boatman.

He she has an itch. Nice photo!

[Stu from NYC]

Very nice

[manaboutown]

He she has an itch. Nice photo!

The bird may or not have an itch but it looks to be preening to me.

"Preening is a maintenance behaviour found in birds that involves the use of the beak to position feathers, interlock feather barbules that have become separated, clean plumage, and keep ectoparasites in check. Feathers contribute significantly to a bird's insulation, waterproofing and aerodynamic flight, and so are vital to its survival. Because of this, birds spend considerable time each day maintaining their feathers, primarily through preening. Several actions make up preening behaviour. Birds fluff up and shake their feathers, which helps to "rezip" feather barbules that have become unhooked. Using their beaks, they gather preen oil from a gland at the base of their tail and distribute this oil through their feathers. They draw each contour feather through their bill, nibbling it from base to tip."

From: Preening - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preening)

[larbud]

Damn I was gonna say just eating cooties!!😂😂👍The bird may or not have an itch but it looks to be preening to me.

"Preening is a maintenance behaviour found in birds that involves the use of the beak to position feathers, interlock feather barbules that have become separated, clean plumage, and keep ectoparasites in check. Feathers contribute significantly to a bird's insulation, waterproofing and aerodynamic flight, and so are vital to its survival. Because of this, birds spend considerable time each day maintaining their feathers, primarily through preening. Several actions make up preening behaviour. Birds fluff up and shake their feathers, which helps to "rezip" feather barbules that have become unhooked. Using their beaks, they gather preen oil from a gland at the base of their tail and distribute this oil through their feathers. They draw each contour feather through their bill, nibbling it from base to tip."

From: Preening - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preening)

[Djean1981]

Beautiful ❤️

[La lamy]

Wow. Gorgeous.

[JwizChick]

Photo taken here in The Villages by Sam Boatman.

Absolutely gorgeous! Thank you for sharing, Sam.

[Karen M]

Photo taken here in The Villages by Sam Boatman.

Thank you. Your photo is beautiful.

[JC and John]

Photo taken here in The Villages by Sam Boatman.

Simply stunning!

[cbmerl]

Photo taken here in The Villages by Sam Boatman.

Gorgeous! Thanks for sharing.

[DogFish]

Thank you Sam...
Ron/Donna

[Hank’s mom]

I want to buy that photo?!?

[Driller703]

Photo taken here in The Villages by Sam Boatman.
That is an award worthy photo Sam. (You’ve done this before, I can tell!)