This Great Egret is a little smaller than the one that normally comes over to visit from the Lake. On this side of the street, he can find Anolis (Anoles) to eat. They wait for their prey to come to them and then spear them with their long beak, swallowing them whole.
An Anole was the cause of my air conditioning being out over Christmas. It shorted out my system. Karri Casper came through for me on Christmas Eve (thank you Karri) and gave me the name of an air conditioning company but fortunately my roofer discovered the cause and I am "cool" again.
Sounds like one of those visionaries to me. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteThe fact that it's a beautiful bird or that they peck their prey and swallow them whole?
ReplyDeleteSorry, that's a non-native cattle egret.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.audubonguides.com/home.html
Sorry, I believe that you might be wrong. This Egret has a thin neck and long legs whereas the cattle egret has a different body shape.
ReplyDeleteThey taste just like muscovy ducks
ReplyDeleteThink of the bufflo wings you could make with a flock of those suckers
ReplyDeleteNot at all surprised you would think otherwise, but that doesn't alter facts. Buy yourself an identification guide. Size, beak and leg coloration show this to be a cattle egret. Having once spent 5 years contributing data to the Florida Audubon Breeding Bird Atlas, my certainty is based on plenty of field work. Audubon, for some reason, insists data is useless without accuracy.
ReplyDeleteFor your edification please see the quick references below, taking particular notice of beak and leg coloration, as well as breeding plumage changes and feeding habits.
Great Heron (or egret):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Blue_Heron
Snowy Egret:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Blue_Heron
Cattle Egret:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Blue_Heron
You're welcome.
Thank you Russ, for being so informed. I appreciate all the facts I can muster.
ReplyDelete