This is interesting: not a Great Egret, nor a Snowy Egret, but a juvenile Little Blue Heron. Young Little Blues are white, developing a blotchy pattern in their second year before becoming the dark blue-gray of the adults. Since they frequently associate with Snowy Egrets, it has been hypothesized that this may be a form of mimicry. I saw lots of these when I lived in Antigua, but they rarely appear in NY, The farthest north you find them in numbers are some places in New Jersey. This one was in the same pond as our visiting Roseate Spoonbill and may have found its way there as a result of the same presumptive factor: Hurricane Idalia.
#nature #NaturePhotography #birds #Wildlife #naturecommunity #photography #BirdsOfMastodon #birding #birdphotography

https://s3.nl-ams.scw.cloud/birdstown-storage/media_attachments/files/111/026/466/321/397/021/original/6e0abc63f8e0cf8d.jpeg