Photo taken by Conservancy staff on a Conservancy preserve, 2024.
It’s often difficult to view, but part of the Conservancy’s job is to see that wildlife has access to sustenance on the preserves. Here, a Snowy egret (Egretta thula) manages to nab a quick lunch on a Conservancy owned and managed rice paddy. This bird is not a “Covered Species” under either the Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan or the Metro Air Park Habitat Conservation Plan. However, it is prolific on Conservancy preserves.
While some see it as one of the more graceful and beautiful birds on the preserves, and we might agree with them, over the years we’ve seen them regularly prey on rodents. They are very clever hunters.
