[va-bird] Gray vs. Great Blue Heron?

 

Yesterday at the tip of the Delmarva Peninsula (specifically, the east end of 
the freshwater Ramp Road pond, at Eastern Shore of Virginia NWR), I studied 
an adult _Ardea_ heron, almost certainly a Great Blue Heron, that appeared to 
have the following characters:

1) squat, smallish body shape faintly recalling a night-heron when at rest;
2) rather short, light bill for a Great Blue;
3) rather short (for Great Blue) legs, with little leg past the tail/wings at 
rest (just a few inches); the legs moreover were rather pale; 
4) a complete lack of cinnamon tones in wing and thigh;
5) a contrastingly pale neck; the length of the neck appeared short as well.  

What the bird appeared to lack for Gray Heron was the loral pattern (dark at 
the eye, with an isolated pale patch anterior).  I know that others must have 
encountered such a bird in North America, probably a small, pale Great Blue 
adult, but this is my first one.  Has there been an ID-Frontiers discussion 
of birds such as this one (and if so, could some kind soul please forward 
it)?  Is there a "gold standard" for Gray Heron in terms of plumage (that is, 
if the presence/absence of cinnamon feathers is not diagnostic), or must we 
rely on subjective assessments of structure and a concert of "soft" 
characters?  

This bird flew off to the east after several minutes of study, and I could 
not relocate it around the boat ramp east of the refuge.  It was at good 
range for digiscoping, but not for my 400mm lens, unfortunately, so I have no 
images to post.  

Ned Brinkley
Cape Charles, Virginia USA
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