By the time you are reading this, we will be off to southern Texas. Believe this is the first time we have visited our favorite state at this time of year. By now I am sure everyone is aware we spent lot of our vacation time on the Gulf Coast and down along the Rio Grande Valley during our corporate years. We have continued… and extended our time there now into our retirement years. Our company would shut down between Christmas and New Year’s (initially started to reduce costs at our manufacturing facilities). No longer bound by the designated vacation days, we have been spending all of January in that warmer climate – well, up until this year when we decided to try out Arizona instead – regretted. Having missed our time in Texas, we are making our first Spring visit and excited to try out a new birding season. There is a bit of concern about the tourist competition being in the midst of Spring Break for many of the schools across the nation. Time will tell, but honestly, it is hard for us to ever be disappointed down there. I may be a bit sparse as we chew up the miles and I also know Brad will be heading back out on assignment soon, so apologies in advance for the expected delays in responses. The good news is we have plenty of material ready to go to keep everyone entertained while we are out and about.
Without further delay, how about we get to today’s featured feathered friend!
Hit the jump to read more about our ginger feathered specimen.
Just in case you are not up on your large shorebirds, this is the Reddish Egret. They are rather distinctive in their adult “standard” plumage with their ginger/cinnamon colored head and neck feathering matched up beautifully with their slate grey body and cobalt blue legs. Add in their very distinctive two-toned bill (black and pink) and you should have yourself a pretty quick ID.
I will admit my confidence was shaken thanks to an unexpected sighting of a Reddish Egret in its white morph disguise (link here). At the time I thought I was observing a juvenile Little Blue Heron (link here). I have had many encounters with those and aware that species eventually sheds their white coats for the purplish/slate grey adult feathering. The white morphs of the Reddish are far rarer and maintain their whites through their adulthood. Big thanks again, to Ted Jennings (link here) who spotted this distinction in my previous post. Luckily with this specimen, there is no need to go down any alternate IDs.
Ginger here was spotted at the South Padre Island Bird Viewing and Nature Center back in January of 2023. The element that initially caught my attention was how calm this particular individual was. Normally when they are hunting it is basically a frantic pants off dance off event sure to catch the judgemental eye of the much more laid back Great Egret cousins.
Ibis: “Hey GE, is that one of yours out there dancing like Elaine from Seinfeld?” (link here)
GE: “Nope, never seen it before, no siree, not a chance, no way in hell, probably one of those punk Spoonbills, I gotta go.
I thought I had a post showing their elaborate dance, but having problems finding it on the road (will update if I stumble upon it). Imagine them with their wings up hopping madly about like the water was made of hot coals. Although easily mistaken for being infested with Ceti Alpha 5’s only remaining indigenous lifeform (link here), the erratic behavior is actually purposeful. This “Canopy Feeding”, as Cornell’s website refers to it, tricks their Minnow prey into seeking the shadows for safety and their other bodily antics flush others from their hiding places. Humorous for the rest of the shorebirds, but you can’t knock the effectiveness.
As mentioned, this specimen really peaked my interest for the lack of movement. A slow step here, dip of the head there and a random bill opening was about it. Absolutely perfect conditions to get some crisp shots with the big glass.
Hope you enjoyed this quick look at one of my favorites from the Egret/Heron family. I can’t wait to make it back down there and see what the Birding Center has to offer this year – especially excited to see what this new season will add to the already incredible birding down there!
Life Intrigued 