Great Egret

The great egret is a little over three feet tall with a wingspan of almost five feet. It has a long, sharp yellow bill and long gray to black legs, with non-webbed feet with very long toes. When the great egret is in breeding plumage, it has long lacy and delicate plumes on its back that curl over its tail. In the early 20th century, the long feathers of the great egret were used on ladies hats and the species was almost hunted into extinction, but since becoming a protected species, they have recovered their numbers, and are now commonly found along salt and freshwater marshes, marshy ponds and tidal flats. I liked this picture because, although it was actually raining, and the light was very poor when I shot it, you can see the bone in his wing; if you look carefully you can see his long toes as well. Thank you all for your kind remarks on yesterdays blip; for EZ, who wondered about birds and frogs, I did this!