Submitted by Sherri Sapp
Photo courtesy of Sherri Sapp
Sherri Sapp graduated from the University of North Florida majoring in English and Photography. She found photography to be the most compelling, versatile and captivating of the visual arts. Photo Walk Amelia, where area photographers join together at various locations around the island to photograph and share their knowledge, is a favorite past time for Sherri. Her work has been displayed at the Island Art Association. We thank Sherri for her contribution to the Fernandina Observer.
Photographers can submitted their photos to [email protected] Fernandina Observer Incorporated is committed to protecting the copyright and intellectual property of others. Content provided to Fernandina Observer must be content that does not violate copyright or intellectual property of others.
October 6, 2013 1:00 a.m.
Beautiful capture! Last winter I kept seeing a half-and-half juvenile little blue on the Greenway–they are so striking.
Thank you! Yes, I love our birds of the Greenway!
Love the photo, but I believe this is a Snowy Egret rather than a Little Blue.
Snowy Egrets have black legs. These are yellow legs. The following is a comment from one of our area birders. “1. You are correct in your description or 2. It could be a morph of a Great Blue which not necessarily common but present in the area.”
This is a Snowy Egret – yellow legs are an easy way to tell (school children sometimes learn that the Snowy Egret is wearing “yellow snow boots” as an identification clue); they’re a little smaller than the Great American Egret, and are the symbolic mascot of the Audubon Society. (Definitely not a Blue Heron of any type.) Beautiful photo, Sherri!
From a Cornell website:
“Among the most elegant of the herons, the slender Snowy Egret sets off immaculate white plumage with black legs and brilliant yellow feet.”
So, I’m confused.
Yes, it IS confusing! The yellow feet are the best clue, but juvenile Snowy Egrets have a yellow stripe down each leg, which eventually turns to black, leaving only the feet yellow. This one looked like a juvenile to me.
Now that make sense! Thanks!