West Coast egret wars

©2014 Lydia Hinshaw

Great egret, left, wants reddish egret's fish

 ST. PETE BEACH, FL --  We just spent a few days here celebrating Prince Charming's 72nd birthday, enjoying a comfy inn instead of our usual camping spot.

 We love camping at nearby Fort DeSoto, but it is popular enough to rule out spontaneous trips. Getting a campsite in December requires a commitment of dates and cash in early summer.  Reservations are payable in full up front and not refundable. 

 The Prince found our small, reasonably-priced and conveniently located lodgings on the Internet last week, and we were both quite pleased with the place, which was, in Pass-a-Grille, a quaint section of St. Pete Beach.

 We spent much of our time in search of waterfowl to photograph, both at Fort DeSoto and along the waterfronts near the motel. 

 Many of our wildlife haunts on the East Coast have been disappointing the past few winters, as migrating birds seem to be bypassing these locations, for unknown reasons. The West Coast, however, did not disappoint.

 One of my favorite shots was the one above, as a great egret tries to intimidate a reddish egret into dropping his hard-won fish.  Reddish egrets may not be the biggest waders in the lagoon, but they are the baddest.

 Almost always alone, and badly outnumbered, they have no problem chasing off other species of all sizes.