Rescued egret chick grows up fast, is released along Yakima River

A baby egret that was rescued from its nest after its mother disappeared was released into the wild in West Richland on Monday.

A new great white egret joined the birds that feed on fish in the Yakima River near West Richland on Monday.

The young egret cruised from the slough just north of the Van Giesen Street bridge to the first slight bend in the river and then back again, its neck curved in an S shape and its long black legs trailing behind him.

The bird, maybe 2 months old, had spent about half its life at the Blue Mountain Wildlife rehabilitation center in Pendleton after being rescued near Sunnyside before it could fly.

Mary Marquez and her husband, Bob, have lived on acreage east of Sunnyside for 14 years, but the six great white egrets that flew in this year were the first they'd seen, Mary said.

"We were absolutely delighted," she said. Even better, an egret nest appeared in the trees around one of the three ponds on their property.

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