Egrets: I've Had a Few

Snowy Egret Egretta thula and Great Egret Ardea alba

Just riding along, taking about 200 photos of art, bikes, plants and stuff, and then...what the heck? Egrets? Lots of them? Three kinds? Perched on the edge of the canal fishing? And sitting beside the lake?

 Egrets of the Third Kind: Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias

So in addition to the 200 art photos, I got about 150 of egrets staring keen-eyed for swimming edibles.

Mallard, not technically in the egret club

I loved the way the small snowy egrets hang out as equals with the blue herons and the greats, like "That's right, we bad, uh huh..."

Snowies Not Afraid of Greats

"Art, bikes, plants, birds, and stuff" is not a really compelling name for a blog, I think. But, this was an unusual sight, at least the white birds, since I have seen a blue heron or two around regularly, and I don't actually know the right explanation: migration? stuck there by resort owners? escaped from the egret circus? they were there all along and I somehow missed the giant white birds in the previous 200 times I passed through this neighborhood? global warming? they saw the blue heron and wanted to join the club? Whatever the reason these birds were out there, I feel fortunate to have seen them. When I saw the one in the tree below, I flashed back to Louisiana, where they are a common sight. But not here. Not normally. But this ain't normal. This is ABPBS. Get up Go ride.

    Not Normal. Not here.