Friday, September 4, 2009

SkyWatch Friday: Heron or Egret?


These photos were taken while on the Pewaukee River boardwalk in Simmons Park (see my 9/3/09 post.) Great white heron? or Great white egret? The white phase of the great blue heron is common down in Florida, but I have never seen one up here - although the great big blues are very common. While I have seen egrets around here before, none have been this huge, as evidenced by this guy's wing-span. The legs would be a good clue, but I never got a clear view. The egret has black spindly legs, which are almost visible in the tree shot, but the heron has gray legs. I've researched this, but I am still unsure.

See all SkyWatch Friday entries here.

4 comments:

Amanda said...

nice photo! I love the picture of the bird flying in the sky... very peaceful.

Louise said...

Well, apparently whatever it was, it was somewhat of an oddity which makes the nice captures all the better.

Lowell said...

Great pics, but I've never figured out the difference between the two, either.

Judy said...

Whatever it is it's a beauty.