The mad linebacker of the flats

... is someone's description of Reddish Egret.  I was thinking it was Peterson, but that phrase isn't in his guide when I checked just now.  I'm thinking it's probably somewhere in a Pete Dunne essay.

Reddish Egret has a very narrow range in the U.S., I hadn't really realized how restricted their habitat is, but didn't have any decent pics of the species before this trip.  On our first evening we went to a beach a mile from the motel and I spotted one up the beach.  It didn't take long to walk over to it.

 I don't usually center the subject in the exact middle of the frame, but I liked the symmetry that the dunlins randomly configured themselves into.  I walked out into the gulf for a better angle at the bird.

I was back at the beach at absolute first light the next morning and there were a few more feeding, staggering about the tidal pools.  Peterson's description alluded to their drunken feeding habits.

In a first for the blog I made a gif of one of them careening about the pool

There was an immature in the same area, the rich morning light gives it credit for much more color than these very dull bird typically display.

A final view of one of the adults in flight.