Me and my Shadow?

  A lovely pair of friends visited the pier...a dark one and a white one. Since I am not absolutely sure about the identity of the dark one, it is possible that it is a dark phase of the lighter one.  The bill shape makes me think these are Reddish Egrets. These birds can have a morph stage where one is dark while the other is snowy white.  I am thinking this is what is happening here but with the lighting, it is hard to identify the birds.  Also, with only being able to see the back of the darker of the two, I am at a huge disadvantage!  Same type of bird but two different stages?  Who knows but, still, they seem to be best friends.  

  Back a few years ago, a similar pair visited the pier and hung around for quite some time.  I could never get near enough to the birds to identify them either.  Whether this is the same pair, once again, I cannot be certain.  I do know that both pairs have been rather skittish about my presence.  This is unusual as the other egrets and herons have no qualms about even eating from my hand.  Perhaps these birds are migratory and are not true denizens of the Bayou.  This would explain their uneasiness toward humans.

  Each time I have photographed the pairs of birds, I get tickled.  Both are always standing on one leg!  I know this is a common practice among egrets and herons but it seems strange when seeing two remarkably different birds in the same pose.  Had the birds both been facing the same direction, it would have almost been like the darker one was the shadow of the white one.  Or, perhaps, I am just easily amused. Regardless, I am glad the birds came for a visit!