Early yesterday morning, an immature Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) flew up to the top of a nearby tree as I slowly approached it on the boardwalk at Huntley Meadows Park. From its elevated perch, the beautiful little bird seemed to be surveying the landscape, contemplating the start of a new day.
At this time of the year there are quite a few large white wading birds at my favorite marshland park. I think that most of them are Great Egrets (Ardea alba), but the coloration and shape of the bill of the bird in this photo suggest to me that this is a Little Blue Heron. When Little Blue Herons are mature, they are a dark grayish blue and would never be mistaken for Great Egrets, but when they are young, the feathers of a Little Blue Heron are all white.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Distinguishing young Little Blues from young Snowy Egrets is tough. The only time I’m really sure it’s a Little Blue is when the legs are a bright, lime green. The Sibley site has a helpful page, that reinforces what you say here: legs, feet, and bill tell the tale!
It was nice of this one to fly up out of the water–from a distance I wasn’t sure if it was an egret or not.
I was thinking the same thing about Snowy Egrets!