Hi Bill,

If the birds had black legs, they were more likely Great Egrets. Also, Great Egrets are taller and more slender than Cattle Egrets, and are shaped more like Great Blue Herons. Cattle Egrets are smaller, the size of Snowy Egrets, but more stocky, with yellow bill and legs.

Barry Ulman
Bellingham, WA.


On Dec 27, 2011, at 1:20 AM, Bill Anderson wrote:

> My family and I went spent Christmas with my parents in Vancouver, WA. On Christmas Day my father, son and I drove west out of Vancouver on NW Lower River Rd, then headed north on NW Erwin O. Rieger Memorial Hwy. along Vancouver Lake looking for birds. On the west side of the road we saw several egrets in a field along with some great blue herons.
>
> I believe the egrets were cattle egrets based on their thick, yellow bills and black legs. I don't know if cattle egrets are regular winter visitors to the Vancouver area. It was the first time I have seen an egret and my ID is based on what I read in my Sibley's. If anyone thinks the birds may have been a different species of egret, shoot me an e-mail and I wlll send you some photos I took with my big honkin' lens.
>
> Bill Anderson; Edmonds, WA. USA
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