It was the egret, flying out of the lemon grove, that started it.
Mary Stewart, opening line of The Moonspinners.
Every winter, the water district drains the canals that run alongside the walking paths I use. The other day, I saw an egret hunting for lunch in the mud at the bottom of canal. A bit farther along, these two were hanging out at the point where the canal dips underground for a bit. I imagine them shooting the breeze as they waited to see if anything tasty crawled out of the mud below them.

I’m not certain what type of heron or egret they were. I think the hunched one on the right might have been a snowy egret hiding its plumage.
Seeing three of these white birds along this stretch of canal is a record for me. But sadly, they did not fly off, leading me to adventure and romance like the heroine of The Moonspinners.