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My Ibis or Egret?
Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:42 pm
by Kat
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).
Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:46 pm
by Kat
My Bird Close Up- He's leaving my window
Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:48 pm
by Kat
Bird in my driveway, heading South
Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:50 pm
by Kat
Are you sick of my bird yet?
He was nonchalant....
Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 10:23 pm
by Shelley
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!
Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 10:50 pm
by theebmonique
Yes...a handsome egret indeed !
Another Great Egret:
Here's an Ibis:
Tracy...
Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 11:00 pm
by Shelley
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!
Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 4:14 am
by Kat
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?
Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 9:06 am
by Shelley
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.
Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 10:37 am
by william
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.
Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 2:52 am
by Kat
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...
Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 9:51 am
by william
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.