Quick identification
Reddish egret (Egretta rufescens)
A medium egret with a shaggy head and animated feeding style. Dark adults have a slate body and rusty head; the white morph is entirely pale but retains the active behavior.
Season and local range: Regular coastal resident.
Habitat and island setting
Very shallow saltwater flats and lagoon margins, especially broad open areas with small fish.
Where to look
Use bayside boardwalks, the causeway flats and north-end Laguna Madre flats. A scope helps without shortening the bird's comfort distance. Birds may move as tides, wind, fronts, water levels and activity at the site change.
What the bird is doing
Its running, spinning and wing-shadowing hunt is distinctive. Feeding birds need space to work; never step onto flats solely to close the distance for a photograph.
Watching birds
Use binoculars or a camera zoom, stay on public paths and leave feeding, resting and nesting birds enough room to continue normal behavior. If a bird stops feeding, stands alert, calls repeatedly or moves away because of you, increase the distance. Check access information in the South Padre Island birding guide before making a special trip.