Last year I never saw a cattle egret at the Alligataor Farm in full breeding plumage. This is a new year!
This small egret is ubiquitous around livestock. Often seen in fields catching insects disturbed by hogs and cattle. They occur in large groups and appear rather dull in their non-breeding plumage. Cattle egrets, a transplant from Aftica, were initially found breeding in South Florida in 1953. They have now spread far and wide and are now the most abundant of all the herons/egrets. As you can see in these photos of a pair of cattle egrets their breeding plumage is not dull.
Love the stick hand off!