An adult great egret watches over three young in a nest. Great egrets were one of six species of colonial tree-nesting waterbirds studied in northeast South Dakota by Nathan Baker for his master’s degree in biology. Objectives of his study were to evaluate reproductive success of great egrets, black-crowned night herons, great blue herons, cattle egrets, snowy egrets, and double-crested cormorants, and to identify important habitat characteristics necessary for successful reproduction of colonial tree-nesting waterbirds in wetlands of northeast South Dakota. Baker is a wildlife biologist with the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks.
