Are We Forgetting??

  Two of my favorite shorebirds made a visit to the pier this morning.  Not that either of these are rare nor that their appearance is something special to other folks, it is just that I like them.  Both are members of the heron family. Both are egrets.  Both are white.  They are not the same type bird.  One is a Snowy Egret while the other is a Great Egret.  The one in the foreground of the photograph is the Snowy Egret.  It is smaller, has bright yellow feet and a black bill (with just a touch of yellow).  The one in the background is the Great Egret.  It has black legs, a bright yellow bill and is much larger.

  
  Both birds, however, have something else in common other than being egrets.  Back during the nineteenth century, egrets were nearly annihilated.  To adorn ladies' hats, the birds were hunted nearly to extinction.  The large, white plumes brought such an exorbitant price that the birds were killed in great masses.  This brought about the demand that laws be passed to protect birds and the National Audubon Society worked tirelessly to help the all birds.  They chose the egret as their symbol. In the twentieth century while being protected, the bird recovered rapidly.  The Migratory bird Protection Treaty gave the birds a chance.  Now, however, that protection has changed.  "Accidental" or "Incidental" deaths will be swept through a loophole and not be punishable.  This is saddening.  While this may not seem like a great deal, knowing how things get pushed and shoved around to benefit big business, the birds are the ones that will suffer and that, in itself, will hurt us all.

   As I sat watching the egrets on the pier, I thought of how it would break my heart if my grandlittles were deprived of the chance to view these beautiful birds and any others.  Yep, regulations are there for a reason.......too bad they can be bent, twisted and otherwise distorted to benefit big business.  Things happen when folks turn a blind eye toward those in power.