The Egrets, Great Ones and Snowy Ones

Egrets are very common birds in Bexar County. There are three species that may be found here: great egrets, snowy egrets and cattle egrets. Cattle egrets generally prefer grasslands and pastures. Both the great and the snowy egrets live in aquatic habitats along rivers, creeks, ponds, marshland and mudflats. These two species of egrets are permanent residents along the San Antonio River.

For the casual observer, it is easy to confuse great and snowy egrets. They are very similar birds. As the name implies, great egrets are larger than snowy egrets. Actually, they are much larger, but that doesn't help much if there isn't one of each in the same vicinity to compare sizes. An easy way to distinguish one from the other is by the color of their bill and feet. Great egrets have yellow bills and black feet. Snowy egrets have black bills and yellow feet. Note that they both have black legs, so if their feet are out of sight, that doesn't help distinguish them.

Yesterday, there were several of both species along the Eagleland Reach of the river:

Given their magnificent, elegant beauty, it would be tempting to conclude that photographing these egrets was the highlight of my walk yesterday. I will admit, that is just what I was thinking until I was caught off guard by another one of my truly heart-pounding encounters near the end of the walk. I will post that story and photos on Thursday.

The San Antonio River, Eagleland Reach, Winter's Early Arrival

Today's photos:

A strong cold front blew in during the weekend bringing winter to South Texas a few weeks earlier than usual. The weather the past couple of days and forecast for the next several is more typical of the end of December, not the beginning of this month. Needless to say, it is cold with a biting north wind. So, in those terms, it was not a very pleasant walk.

As with Friday's walk, however, the photographic opportunity made up for the physical discomfort. The river was just above its normal bank level and flowing swiftly from the previous night's rain. Field sparrows, lesser goldfinches, mallards and more were active. The tree and shrub planting that I described in the Tuesday, November 29 post is limited to the section of river from Lone Star Blvd to just south of the confluence with San Pedro Creek, so the vegetation in the Eagleland Reach is uncut with much of it going to seed.

The above photo's more than adequately communicate the experience of the walk, but I will post photos and the story that were the ultimate reward tomorrow and Thursday. Mother Nature truly rewards those who pay attention.

The San Antonio River, Mission Reach, Concepcíon Park Trailhead, South, Misty Drizzle

Friday, December 2, 2011

Today's photos:

I was very tempted today to make excuses and not go on a walk. If the precipitation had been any heavier, I probably wouldn't have risked the camera getting wet. It was windy and a bit chilly. The real story of today's walk, though, was the heavy overcast sky with widely scattered showers and misty drizzle. The photos tell the rest of the story.

As is typical of my walks along the San Antonio River, there will be at least one more post of photos from today.