Last weekend was my husband's birthday, and on Monday, Labor Day. We had no plans and after an easy going weekend, we decided to keep that going with a trip to the driving range in Marine Park and a walk of the loop at the Marine Park Salt Marsh Nature Center.
The egrets were plentiful and beautiful...
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| My favorite birds to see in flight, fishing, and just strutting are egrets- here a great egret takes flight from the water with perfect lift and little disruption to the waters surface. |
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| So sad they will be leaving us for the winter. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the migratory bird treaty, one of the major pushes to create this treaty was that egrets were almost hunted to extinction. In particular, the smaller snowy egret and great egret were primary targets while nesting, where 100's of birds could be hunted as they nest communally in rookeries. Both snowy and great egrets have amazing plumes during the breeding season but thankfully, these birds (and many others) are now protected by federal law. |
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| While discussing this picture with Tim, he commented that they are "so weird." I agree, because they are beautiful, with angelic wings, but they are badass, with no mercy for anything that meets that spear-like beak, and oh yeah- they are practically dinosaurs. They are everything awesome in one package. |
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| Credit to Tim for this shot :) |
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| And one kestrel, because again, always touted as "the smallest N. American falcon," which makes you sound petite and cute-- but again... |
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| ...that is the look of a badass about to strike with dinosaur prowess. |
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