His first reaction is to drive her off. She retreats and a period of assessment ensues in which the female continues to watch the display and may try again to join the male. Finally, he will accept her and allow her to remain on the nest. After the male accepts the female and the bond between the two is well established, nest building begins. Egrets build their nests of sticks that they take from unoccupied nests if available, otherwise, they break dead twigs from nearby trees or gather sticks from the ground.
Males do most of the twig gathering, carrying the sticks to the females in their bills.
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.