Beach thoughts

We went to the beach this afternoon and my question is...

What kind of bird is leaving these ginormous footprints?! They're almost as big as mine (which, by human standards, are relatively dainty but by bird standards are...pretty huge...ostriches excluding):

It's not a flamingo because flamingoes lack a back toe (though I would like to see some overwintering flamingoes). It's some sort of anisodactyl bird, which is only the most common arrangement of toes for our avian friends (which really doesn't help to narrow things down at all).

Probably some kind of elusive heron.

Wherever you are, I admire your foot size on the regular (just so you know).

Also, I caught a fish the other day! Rather...the fish...caught a fish...and the fish was itself.

"Seek" tells me this is a blacktip silver-biddy

Zoë had been stalking a school of fish (or multiple schools of fish) for the better part of an hour, trying to catch one of them in her bucket. She desperately wanted to catch a fish. 

And there I was, walking along the shore, minding my own business (probably in awe over such big bird footprints) when a school of fish came right up to the shoreline and started leaping out of the water for no apparent reason.

This little guy was a little over-enthusiastic in his leapings and heaved himself onto shore where he gave a few pitiful flops before lying still, panting on the sand. 

So I scooped him up and told Zoë to bring her bucket. She did and we deposited the fish inside where he perked up right away (this picture was taken later, after Zoë nabbed the fish a second time—like shooting fish in a barrel).

After observing the fish for a while we returned it back to the bay (we didn't want it to suffocate in the bucket). 

I wonder if the fish are swimming along trying to lure us into the bay only to exclaim with glee: "We caught one!" when we jump in for a swim.

I wonder whether the birds come out to walk along the deserted beach and think to themselves, "What kind of human left these tracks?! These tracks are wild! Look at the size of them!"