Birder’s Lounge

Look at those feet! This Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) is high-stepping down the log. I like to call their bright yellow feet their “dancing shoes” because they look like they are dancing in the water when they scratch the bottom of the shore where they are hunting, hoping to scare up a meal (literally!). While the bright yellow feet are striking, this bird was “…once nearly hunted to extinction.” (Arnold, Keith and Gregory, Kennedy. Birds of Texas: Lone Pine Publishing, 2007) for its long plumes grown during breeding season.

You can get an idea of the long plumes that were so sought after from this photo. This bird has lost his/her bright red lores (the area between the bill and eye that is yellow in this picture), because the breeding season is now over. The following information is from Cornell’s Birds of North American Online:

This species was among the most sought-after of all herons and egrets for its delicate, recurved back plumes, used to adorn women’s hats. In 1886, plumes were valued at an astounding $32 per ounce, twice the contemporary price of gold (Allan 1974). Plundering for plumes began about 1880, peaked in 1903, and continued until 1910, when outraged citizens forced the passage of laws that reduced the slaughter. Hunting continued longer in Central and South America because of continued European demand (Hancock and Kushlan 1984). The species mounted a remarkable comeback following cessation of the feather trade, even extending its range beyond that of historical record.

I learned a little something about the making of women’s hats from an old photo that my grandmother sent me. It was a picture in that wonderful sepia tone that is typical of older photographs, of two women (one of them a relative on the family tree), in very fancy hats, with impossibly slim waists. The art of making women’s hats was called millinery. I cannot tell you how much I wish I could share this picture, but I managed to lose my copy in the decade that was my less-than-glamorous twenties. Crud.

Anyway, I cannot remember for sure if their hats were adorned with feathers, but I think they were. Thank goodness that we did not lose these awesome birds!

One more thing - if you think the Snowy Egret is elegant with it’s yellow slippers and long, pure white plumes, just listen to their calls. Oh my, MY!