My Ibis or Egret?

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:42 pm

William may know which bird this is- it came pecking at my living room window yesterday (Sunday, Oct. 8). I think it was after the lizards that hang out on my screen. The weird thing was I was sitting on the couch with my back to the window, not 5 feet away.
I grabbed my camera and slowly followed him from right outside my front porch to my driveway, to next door (South).

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:46 pm

My Bird Close Up- He's leaving my window

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:48 pm

Bird in my driveway, heading South

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:50 pm

Are you sick of my bird yet?

He was nonchalant....

Shelley · Post by **Shelley** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 10:23 pm

You've got a Great Egret- distinguished by his yellow bill and black legs and feet. The Snowy Egret has a black bill, black legs and yellow feet! An Ibis has a funny long hooked beak and shorter legs with a fatter rounder body. This guy is a cutie!

theebmonique · Post by **theebmonique** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 10:50 pm

Yes...a handsome egret indeed !

Another Great Egret:

Here's an Ibis:

Tracy...

Shelley · Post by **Shelley** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 11:00 pm

Oh I think your little guy is looking for Romance- or maybe a tidbit-filled trashcan! He has a certain Jimmmy Stewart charm about him. Now at least he is safe from being a ladies' hat ornament!

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 4:14 am

Thanks you guys. I checked Google for Florida Birds but the Ibis and Egret were lumped together on the sites I visited. Or I had to know the kind of bird in order to look it up!
http://www.floridasmart.com/subjects/an ... rds_fl.htm
William is always telling me to get myself an Audubon Book.

Isn't this guy funny, come knocking on my window?

Shelley · Post by **Shelley** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 9:06 am

My husband, Captain Curmudgeon, and I are rabid birdwatchers and birdfeeders, and I can recommend the Peterson guides for "birders". Make sure to buy the correct guide for your region.

william · Post by **william** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 10:37 am

Kat,

As you have already discovered, this is the Great, or American Egret.It has a yellow bill and black legs. It is distinguished from its larger relative, the Great White Heron, which also has a yellow bill, but possesses yellowish colored legs.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 2:52 am

Thanks Bill!
You are an avid birder as is Shelley, yes?
I have to keep getting the bird guide from the Library- I'm obviously no good at Internet search!

Is this rare for him to be trolling my neighborhood?
We don't let dogs run loose around here, nor alligators...

william · Post by **william** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 9:51 am

Kat,

You must have a Field Guide immediately available to make an accurate identification. By the time you get the book from the library, many details of the bird's description may be forgotten.

In addition to the Peterson Guide recommended by Shelley, I would also recommend Birds of North America from the Golden Guide series. I just checked them out on Amazon.com - both books can be purchased together for about twelve bucks.