egrets & reed bed | oil on canvas

Egrets on the lower Zambezi River nest in dense reed beds, where tall papyrus and grasses provide natural protection from predators and rising water. They build simple platforms of reeds just above the waterline, often in large, noisy colonies that rely on safety in numbers. Both parents share the work of incubating the eggs and guarding the nest. After the chicks hatch, the adults make constant trips to the shallows to bring back small fish, frogs, and insects. The young egrets climb among the reeds as they grow, strengthening their legs and wings before taking their first short flights over the water. Life in the reed beds is busy and loud, but it offers the shelter and security the chicks need to survive along the Zambezi.