Hong Kong and Minnesota Herons and Egrets

In the fall of 2019 we got to fly to Hong Kong and spend about a month with our daughter and her husband on Lamma Island. It is a beautiful island that is part of Hong Kong and is often used by residents of Hong Kong as a get away from big city life and to see nature. Our daughter had our first grandchild shortly before we arrived. Hong Kong has a number of islands and all of it is near or on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. There are therefore many sea birds and the variety of herons and egrets was amazing. Some are very similar to the ones I have seen in Minnesota but many are quite different. The ones included are not all of the species in either Hong Kong or Minnesota. They are just the ones I have seen and photographed. They had many floating fish farms in the harbors of Lamma Island. The herons and egrets would land on them and try to get fish when no humans were around (see picture in the header).

These 2 looked a lot alike!

The great blue heron above was actually seen in a swamp in New Orleans. I could not find a heron picture in Minnesota that was not flying away. Below are both ones in Minnesota to show how majestically they fly.

There were many other types of herons in Hong Kong.

Great Egrets are found in both Minnesota and Hong Kong. They are found in most of the world where there are lakes or ocean shores to find fish for them to eat. Notice the yellow beak and they are larger than the other egrets shown here.