The beautiful and rare great blue heron/great egret hybrid that lives at Fort Desoto. Harry (as I call him) can usually be found at the gulf fishing pier. In the spring during mating season his face turns blue.
Harry is the size of a great egret which is smaller than the great blue heron behind him.
A great blue heron landing on the shelter on the fishing pier.
The rare hybrid great blue heron/great egret was sporting his breeding colors back in early April. I did not change or enhance the color in his face, only cropped the pictures up. He looks more like a great egret now but they have bright green around the beak during breeding season. Great blue herons get a little blue around the eyes. He or she looks like he’s ready for a mate. I didn’t see him the last 2 times I was at the pier so maybe he’s on a nest.
Snowy egrets were stealing bait fish from the fishermen. The cormorant scored a big one for lunch.
Showing off on the light post.
Pelicans and frigatebirds were flying by.
Out past the fishing pier, the utility tower had broken off during Hurricane Irma. The broken tower is still laying below the water. People started swimming out to it and the lifeguards had to swim out and yell for them to come back to shore. Not knowing if they were strong swimmers, the lifeguards wouldn’t want them to get out too far into the shipping channels where the big boats come in.
Linking to Wednesday Around the World.
There were not many birds on the beach near the pier. A few laughing gulls and this lone black bellied plover.
Looks like this is a couple of laughing gulls flirting.
The rare hybrid great blue heron/great egret made an appearance at the pier.
This osprey was eating some yummy fish on the light post on the pier.
Another osprey was also eating. These osprey have been hanging out on the pier a lot lately. They are not skittish and don’t fly away as tons of people are walking by just below them.
It’s been a beautiful afternoon but I was hungry and had a 45 minute drive home so I left to get some dinner.