Snowy Egrets

This morning, when I was going to school, we drove past a small artificial pond with a fountain.  We pass by it every morning.  It used to have reeds all around it, but those were taken away.  I highly doubt anything lives in it, but often I see a little snowy egret trying to fish there.  I always wonder what it's trying to catch.  I never see any other egrets or herons, or even any other birds at the pond.  However, maybe there are little creatures in the pond that I don't know about.  Whatever it is, that egret's always trying.

Below are two snowy egrets.  Snowy egrets are small, common egrets found in the southern United States.  They live all year round on the coasts, but are only around in the summer or in migration inland.  They eat fish, and hunt by crouching, then running after the fish.  They are very similar to the great egret, and from a distance, it's often hard to tell their size (great egrets are large- 'great').  The key features that distinguish the snowy from the great, besides size, are its black legs with yellow feet, its plumes, and its black beak.  You can see all of those in the photo below.  These two were at the Oceanside Harbor.

Snowy Egrets

 

Below are the same two egrets.  I'm showing another photo of them because in this one, their long necks are stretched out, and their plumes are more visible.  Plus, the egret in front looks pretty funny (it was a windy day, that's why its plumes are fluffed up).

 



Snowy Egrets