Greetings All

I've received even more insights/opinions after I made a 2nd post to
Frontiers of ID.

The opinion seems to favor Snowy Egret quite heavily, though some very good
birders still are not convinced this bird can be ID'd with certainty.

Some points:

The apparent thickness of the bill may be due it being relatively short --
not fully grown out yet. I am not certain that I see this bill as short, but
Louis Bevier also pointed out that the a LBHE's bill should not taper so
abruptly. It should be stouter throughout its length with a curve to the upper
mandible. Thus the bill shape is really better for a young SNEG than a LBHE
irrespective of length.

The birds habits, both body positioning and feeding habits, would be quite
unusual for a LBHE. LBHE are methodical, neck held out awkwardly in front of
body. Snowy is more frenetic and rarely holds this pose. So, the Ridgefield bird
is acting like a SNEG.

The amount of yellow in lores is within range of both species but far more
typical of SNEG. The bicolored bill is fine for either species of this age as is
the leg color.

There is some disagreement here, but it does seem that some LBHE do lack
dusky wing tips, but this is quite unusual.

So, this bird does seem to be a SNEG, though I guess one could never fully
rule out hybrid.... but could you ever? My one main reservation was with the
bill, and now I feel comfortable with it being within range of SNEG.

I'd like to particularly thank Louis Bevier, Alvaro Jaramillo, and Floyd
Hayes for their insights and putting up with my repeated questioning.

Best Wishes
Steven Mlodinow
Everett WA