This great egret was photographed landing at low tide among the oysters and mangroves within the intercoastal waterway of Sand Key, at Indian Shores, Florida. I am always struck by how these birds manage to stay so clean and white, in contrast to the seemingly muddy environment in which they often feed. Against the backdrop of the exposed oyster bed, this bird looks as if it has just ascended from heaven, pure white, and without so much as a splash of mud as it prepares to land once again in the afternoon sun. [Edition of 250]