An UIB (Unidentified Bird)

I was driving home tonight when I spotted a bird in a pond. The pond is on the north side of Tienken Road here in Rochester -- between Brewster and Livernois. I wish I could have stopped and taken a picture but traffic moves at a pretty good clip along Tienken.

I'm inclined to guess that it was a great egret. It was a wader (long legs), the plumage was all white, and it had a spearhead shaped yellow-orange beak. Unfortunately I couldn't see the color of the legs and I could see if there were any crest on the head so I can't be completely certain that it may not have been a heron way out of its normal territory.

Birdwatching Ears

I got the audio companion to Peterson's Field Guide today. In fact there are a couple of audio companions; one is supposed to give you the audio equivalent of the field marks that the field guide gives while the other is supposed to give the various bird songs to help a person learn what to listen for. I'm going to try to listen to it and see if I can start to pick up the sound of birds. If nothing else my latest mania for bird watching should help me to sharpen up my powers of observation anyway.