Are We There Yet?

This cow seems to have picked up a hitchhiker. A shady looking character, I'd say. Yup, this is the image I had wanted to capture! Some time ago, someone had po...
Read more

This cow seems to have picked up a hitchhiker. A shady looking character, I'd say. Yup, this is the image I had wanted to capture! Some time ago, someone had posted one similar to this, which got me wanting to replicate it. This shady looking character is a Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis). These egrets feed mostly on insects in fields. Get this, it is estimated that they gather 50% more food and use only two-thirds as much energy when they feed alongside cattle. As the cow grazes on grass, flies are disturbed and fly up. The egret gratefully devours the fly. These egrets were introduced to Hawaii in 1959. As I was driving to a lookout in Waimea, I passed by fields with cows. I noticed that the cows seemed to have their own groupies, which followed them closely. When I came to a group of cows grazing closer to the fence, I quickly pulled over to get a shot. Due to my approach, one egret flew up onto the back of this cow. This made my day! If you look closely, you may notice a white streak down the cow's back. Yup, I think this hitchhiker or one before has left a little package behind.
Read less