A few weeks ago, the birding hotlines lit up with news that at least one Little Egret, the European equivalent of our Snowy Egret, had been spotted working the lagoon near the end of Napatree Point and at several other points east along the coast. Of course I took the bait and ventured forth in search of that rarity, which, in all fairness, seems to be getting less rare with every passing year. After unexpectedly and for reasons no one is quite sure of "crossing the pond," the Littles, whose adults feature a distinguishing double set of long plumes thrown rakishly down their backs, seem to have established a breeding population on this side of the Atlantic, and it's now almost a certainty that, by midsummer, we'll have one of these showy immigrants in temporary residence. It is also almost a certainty that, alas, I will not quite get to Napatree in time to spot one. History repeated itself today, and, while I certainly tried to make this Snowy into its Old World counterpart, it clearly is our common New World bird. Darn.