Early morning on the bayou

In our yard, and just across the bayou, there aren't usually more than two egrets out for early morning fishing. Today, though, it was a bonanza; at one time there were six or seven. They are such beautiful birds, as graceful and purposefully, perfectly predatory as a big cat. They never rush, their concentration is intense, and then whoosh- the long s-shaped neck juts straight out to grab a fish and hurriedly swallow it down. Here are just a couple photos I snapped this morning; I'm not terribly familiar with my mom's camera so these aren't my best, but you get a sense of the action in the midst of serenity we were gazing down upon.