Earl may be the oldest great egret on the planet having outlived even captive ones. He is believed to be 25 years old which is amazing considering that the average lifespan for a wild Great egret is 15 years and captive ones live to about 22 years. Earl is friendly with the park manager at the Marine Nature Study Area in Oceanside, NY as well as the staff and a number of us regulars. I was there when he returned from his southern home which is unknown and it was quite amazing to witness this. It was just about closing and a bunch of us were talking and out of nowhere he simply walked up to us and stood there listening to us talk.
