A Tale of Three Birds

   We came home from the early service at church, and I went to ride for a half hour or so. Passing by that swampy area where I found the wood stork, I decided to look in and see if he was still around. As I glanced around the lake area, I noticed a great blue heron standing in the middle of the pond. Not having my camera with me on the bike, and not wanting to go back home, I filed the shot away in my mind and hoped that I might see him again.

   The thought kept coming back to me, so, after supper, I decided to drive back to the spot and see if he was still around. I took my tripod and my longer lens so that I might get close up.

   He was not there, or he was hiding from me, but, glancing to my left along the edge of that pond, in an area of fallen trees, I saw a hint of white through the bushes. Stepping in to the marsh edge, I saw a great white egret on a limb out over the water.

   To his left there stood a wood stork standing in the shallows.

   Then further to the right was a posing grey bird, one that I could not identify. He was perfectly positioned on an upraised limb.

   I had gone back to get the blue heron, but here were three wading birds, waiting to be the subject of this small journal.

   So I got the tripod out of the trunk and shot, and shot, and shot some more.

   Then I went back home and tried to identify those three.

   I knew the wood stork, he was easy, and I knew that the big white bird was either a heron or an egret of some kind. The bird book identified him as a great white egret because of his orange beak and black legs.

   But who was the chunky grey wader?

   Again, referring to the bird book, and looking at my shot, I could identify him as a yellow crowned night heron. I had never heard of that bird, but I'm no authority on birds.

   I went out for one and came back with three.

   A good return...