Some pretty bad storms hit the area tonight but, earlier in the day, it was relatively nice. The sun was shining and it was warm despite the stiff winds coming from across the Bay. Several times, I went down to the pier to check the small skiff. Son (even with his broken toe) and I had spent an hour last night trying to secure the skiff in the small inlet. We finally managed to get it over the marsh and then tied off to the posts. There, it could ride out the storms without bother.
On one of the walks to the pier, I noticed a lovely egret wading in the shallows. The bird was hunting breakfast and there was plenty to be found in the muddy waters of the Bayou. Since there was not much else to do at the moment, I sat and watched the bird. Snowy Egrets are stalkers. They either stand motionless and wait for hapless fish to swim past or they slowly wade near the shoreline and catch fish when they become startled. The dagger-like bill gives a deadly jab when the bird strikes. This egret was snatching mullet with ease.
It always marvels me that these snow-white birds can stay so clean while sloshing about in the muddy shallows. Nary a speck of mud nor debris could be seen on the showy plumes. If that had been me out there, I would have been one muddy mess! Not the bird. The feathers literally gleamed! I might have been a tad envious...maybe.
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