At the turn of the 20th century, the lovely Snowy Egret was in very real danger of extinction, due to an inexplicable fashion
trend in ladies hats, which were frequently adorned with bird feathers (the long white plumes of the Snowy Egret being a favorite), or even
whole dead birds (?!). The wanton slaughter of these beautiful birds became a focal point for a nascent conservation movement,
and played a great in the creation of, among other things, the Audubon Society and the National Wildlife Refuge system.
sentiment soon opposed this coiture macabre, and, thankfully, egret populations rebounded in quite spectacular fashion, to the point that
they can seem quite abundant in the proper habitats these days.
I found the Snowy Egret pictured below feeding along the banks of the Rio Grande, near Salineño, Texas in December, 2004.
Shortly after I captured this footage, the bird engaged in an unauthorized border crossing, flying to the Mexican bank of the river to
be added to my very short list of birds seen in Mexico.
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