I took this shot on April 5, 2014, in High Island, Texas, at the Audubon Society’s Smith Oaks Rookery. This egret was returning to his nest on a cool and blustery, overcast day. Wind was blowing from the left of this shot at 10 mph with gusts to 20. Egrets will usually turn into the wind to land. They drop their necks forward and their feet downward then tilt their wings perpendicular to the direction of travel. This slows their air speed. If the wind is blowing hard enough, it can suspend them in mid-air. They then have to spill a little air in order to settle down gently. Notice how their knees bend the opposite of humans’. This helps cushion them as they land.
