They seem to be everywhere in Forest Park, particularly during the Summer months. I thought all of the large white birds I was encountering were Great Egrets - but I found out today I was wrong (readers take note - there is a cure for ignorance).

Today I was walking past the Cabanne House (you’ll find out why later in the week) when I spied a man in red trying to bend himself into pretzel shape next to the Lafayette bridge.

“That looks interesting.” I thought to myself, and headed his way. Then I spied the Egret.

I like Egrets. They are graceful and gorgeous (like my wife) and make me think of the cranes so ubiquitous in Japanese landscape paintings (I like Japanese landscape paintings). They also look great in flight (though they are usually flying away from me).

So I forgot the human pretzel and followed the bird across the swamp lands next to our reticent German general’s statue. I found I had not one but three Egrets in one small area. I crept very slowly in their direction and managed to get close enough to fill the frame of my camera with the above bird (at 400mm focal length). That’s when I started noticing differences between my Egrets. This one has a black bill, and yellow feet in addition to the wild wispy feathers. The other two have yellow bills and black feet and no wispy feathers. I had two different birds. The one pictured above is a Snowy Egret in breeding plumage (The chicks dig fancy duds), and the others are Great Egrets. Now that you’ve been enlightened, see for yourself.