This Great Egret is hunting for geckos in the shrubbery, and caught several while we watched. It is in its "up periscope" posture as it searches for the wary reptiles. It looks a little like a stuffed animal coming apart because it is molting and has loose feathers all over, especially on that long neck. Below is a picture its quarry, a gecko.
Another Great Egret is hunting for something, perhaps frogs, along the margin of a pond.
This one shows the typical flight posture of Great Egrets with neck folded and those long black legs trailing behind.
This Great Egret is hunting in reeds at the Payne Prairie Preserve State Park near Gainesville, Florida.