"You're Clear to Land".....'roger, that'!!

As we were walking the raised boardwalk out to Oso Bay, a congregation of egrets and herons flew into the wet field to our right side. While watching the birds, a few more flew in to join them as a trio of common grackles called to get our attention off our left shoulders. In a short time a Little Blue Heron made its way into the crowd of waders. Most times, when we're out birding around the Bay Area, the Little Blue Herons are such a far distance or all too well hidden in the foliage on the small islands in the water, the camera doesn't pick up the colors and features clearly enough. This day, I was in luck!!

[tho quite similar in coloration to the Reddish Egret, the Little Blue Heron is darker all over and lacks the 'longer-feathery' plumage]

GRACKLES - SNOWY EGRETS - LITTLE BLUE HERON [also one in White Morph] - COMMON EGRETS

[Black Necked Stilt and a pair of Mottled Ducks]

photos taken: Hans Suter Wildlife Refuge [Oso Bay] - Corpus Christi, Texas

Habitat Ranges: Little Blue Heron - Snowy Egret - Common Egret - Grackles - Black Necked Stilts - Mottled Ducks - Cattle Egret

TRIVIA [Snowy Egret]: In 1886, plumes were valued at $32 per ounce, which was twice the price of gold at the time. They were hunted nearly to extinction before laws were passed to protect them.

Common Grackle:  The eyes of the juvenile grackle are brown up until October when they change to light yellow.

(note: InLinks  has now changed the format in the admin section of creating the javascript needed for the linking process...I hope I did it correctly. LOL Just when I was getting the 'hang of it all' beforehand. Go Figure)