E IS FOR....

E is for...

EGRET

not just any EGRET but my Egrets -- at least they live in the creek at the bottom of my garden. 

The sun was beginning to set last week when I took these photos, so they are a little over-exposed and probably over-edited.  This is the Snowy EGRET. I see them often but I don't always have my camera with me so when I saw these at the bottom of my garden just down in the creek  and knowing that the letter E was next for ABC WEDNESDAY, I ran inside and  grabbed my camera.

I haven't seen them in the tree like this before. He was about 30 feet up and shining brightly in the sun. The bright white didn't photograph too well in my inexpert hands. At sunset the sun shines directly from the west,  straight down the creek. But you can clearly see his yellow feet, black legs and black bill.

Our poor creek is certainly not looking at its best right now. We have had only a little over two inches of rain since last July on top of four years of drought.  The creek bed is quite sandy and even when  it looks adequately full after rain, it drains away in less than 24 hours, usually leaving a nicely running stream. There is always some water in the creek from the sprinklers.  The park managers allow the gardeners to use them on the banks of the creek twice a week.  This is well water, not city water.   I kept the above photo even though he wasn't looking at me, because at least there is enough water for a reflection.

Sorry these photos are not really as good as they should be, but you can still see the egret's fancy plumes on his head and back.  This is a bit late for breeding season, but our long, long summer has made them a little flirty.  The male sat in the tree for quite a long while looking quite hunch-backed, but when he saw the female arrive, he stretched out his long neck and did a flirty little dance flapping his wings and prancing down after her.

I don't know if this is the male or female but he/she moved quite quickly up stream on his long legs, a little while later. Last summer, not long after we moved here, I only saw one pair of these birds in the park.  This year I have seen at least two pair and there maybe more because I wasn't paying too much attention to them to begin with, thinking they were as numerous as the cattle egrets I had seen elsewhere.  Now that I have recognized them as Snowy Egrets, I will endeavor to get some better photos 

I believe these birds are still on the protected list because of legislation in 1918.  Their numbers were dwindling rapidly around that time because their fine, graceful plumes were highly popular with the ladies for decorating their hats!

What a privilege to have these birds dancing and nesting less than fifty yards away from my back yard!

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This is my entry for ABC Wednesday, that most popular and prestigious project in its 15th round, started by Mrs. Nesbitt and continued by Roger Owen Green along with many other volunteers who help make this an outstandingly successful blog.  Please click HERE to see just how successful it is.