Crappy photo but a cool thing that happened this Christmas morning. A Great Egret landed in our little backyard, who knows why.

It also happens to be my first truly backyard bird since we moved to Florida. And what a bird!

It flew off when I tried to get a pic outside of the screened porch.

The elegant Great Egret is a dazzling sight in many a North American wetland. Slightly smaller and more svelte than a Great Blue Heron, these are still large birds with impressive wingspans. They hunt in classic heron fashion, standing immobile or wading through wetlands to capture fish with a deadly jab of their yellow bill. Great Egrets were hunted nearly to extinction for their plumes in the late nineteenth century, sparking conservation movements and some of the first laws to protect birds.

Here is a better picture of a Great Egret I spotted this morning while walking over the bridge to Hutchinson Island.

Now the bird part of my day is done. Husband, daughters and I just opened gifts and we are getting ready for a trip to the beach, then a dinner of ham, baked macaroni and cheese, spaghetti squash, and a delightful Bahamian rum drink called a Goombay Smash.

Merry Christmas!