Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Some nicknames seem to just naturally fit the wearer, like kid gloves, or slippers for that matter. It’s easy for us to see why the title “Golden Slippers” was given to the Snowy Egret. This small member of the heron family is equally at home in freshwater and marine environments; anywhere it can spend its day fishing. It employs a variety of techniques to capture its prey, from the sit-and-wait approach to actively chasing its prey with wings spread. It’s also been known to shuffle those golden slippers in the shallows to scare fish from their hiding places.
Their beautiful diaphanous feathers are shown at their best during breeding season when courtship rituals are in full swing. This beauty also led to their destruction when they were killed for these plumes which were in demand for hats in the women’s millinery trade. In 1886, these feathers were selling for $32 an ounce, which was twice the going rate for gold.
However, an even more pricy purchase was made long ago for you and me. The chorus of the old negro spiritual, while not relating to the egret, still brings to mind the promise of that gift, something better, something beautiful, something shared by all who make it there:
Oh, dem golden slippers
Oh, dem golden slippers
Golden slippers I’se goin’ to wear
Because they look so neat
Oh, dem golden slippers
Oh, dem golden slippers
Golden slippers I’se goin’ to wear
To walk the golden street.