Twig presentations continue throughout egg laying and incubation, and sometimes even for a short time after the eggs hatch. While one member of the pair is out foraging, the other guards the nest. If the nest were left unattended, other Egrets would quickly take the twigs, and the nest would be gone when the owners returned. Copulation usually occurs on the nest, but it can also take place on a branch near the nest. The Egrets start to lay their eggs sometime during the last two weeks in April.
Clutch size ranges from two to three eggs.
Egret parents don't wait until the clutch is complete to start incubating but begin shortly before the second egg is laid. While one adult is out feeding, the other stays on the nest, guarding it and keeping the eggs warm. The first egg hatches 25-29 days after incubation began, usually between 27 and 28 days. Newly hatched chicks grow quickly, so by the time the last chick in a brood of three or four hatches, the first chicks are much bigger and stronger. Competition for food is intense, and the older chicks often peck at their younger, smaller siblings at feeding time to prevent them from getting food.