“Oh, look!  It’s an albino Great Blue Heron!” one man was heard to say while out on a morning bird watching expedition to Agua Caliente Park.  The others in his group were not impressed with his attempt at humor.  However, they were more than impressed with the graceful large white bird which had just landed along the bank of the pond not fifty yards away.  Suddenly, several of the bird watchers switched from their binoculars to their cameras. In an instant, shutters were clicking away.    If you are asking yourself, “How can people get so excited about a bird?”, you are obviously not a birder, (which is OK, I suppose). If you were a birder you would realize that this bird is indeed a rare sight in the Tucson area.  The Great Egret is basically a transitory bird to southern Arizona.  When the Great Egrets are found in Agua Caliente, it is usually in the winter months as they spend their summers in central and the far southwest part of Arizona.  The Mogollon Plateau and the lower Colorado River are where the birds seem to prefer to nest and colonize. Great Egrets can also be found year-round throughout much of the Southeastern United States, and they will extend their breeding range into the Northeast, the Midwest, and up into Canada.  In the Western United States, the birds are year-round residents of New Mexico, Arizona, and California, and during breeding seasons, are probably transitory to several other western states that have suitable habitat.  The Great Egrets are solitary birds.  However, they will colonize during their breeding season, which is early spring into the beginning of summer.  They build stick nests 20 to 40 feet above the ground or water and can lay up to six eggs.  The Great Egret prefers feeding in shallow rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, and marshes. They primarily feed on small fish, but will eat just about any aquatic critter they can sink their beaks into. The habitat at Agua Caliente provides excellent opportunities for the bird to hunt for fish.  Frankly, I’m surprised we don’t see more Great Egrets at the park. In the later part of the 1800’s and early 1900’s, Great Egrets were hunted and raised in captivity for their long breeding plumage, which extends down their backs.  These nuptial plumes were used to adorn women’s hats, and could command a price of $32 an ounce.  Thank heavens for the conservation movement!  So, if you are at Agua Caliente Park and see a large white bird, chances are it is an albino Great Blue Heron (NOT).  It most likely will be this magnificent looking bird known as the Great Egret.