Of all the birds that migrate through Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, snowy egrets just might be my favorite. Sizewise, they're not as impressive as great blue herons or American white pelicans, but they have gorgeous plumage. Plus, they tend to be less flighty than the other wild wading birds, which means it's easier to watch them (and take pictures).
There's a particular bend on one of the pad roads where you're almost guaranteed to see a snowy egret when they're summering in the area. My last visit was not a disappointment -- which made me happy since the refuge has been flooded almost the entire spring and summer and this was the first time this year that I got to see the snowy egrets at all.
Here you can see the snowy egret's yellow feet:
Event the lightest breeze can ruffle the bird's fluffy feathers:
There was either a turtle or large fish that was also hunting in the same area. You can see the disturbance on the surface of the water to the upper left in many of the photos:
I missed the moneyshot (the snowy egret had caught a fish) but I love how the water cascades in this photo:
I did manage to catch a photo of the bird just as he flew a coupld of feet closer to the bank. I love the light in this photo:
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