"WATCH TOWER"

Black-Crowned Night Heron (Immature) - 10 Photos

A young Black-Crowned Night Heron flew out from a creek bed and landed on top of a dead fir tree, close to where I was positioned waiting for other wildlife to appear (Photo #1 through Photo #3).

The tree stands alone surrounded by wetland. I assume it was regarded as a safe haven for this youngster as it is isolated and difficult to reach without being spotted, be it wildlife or human. Because I was sitting on the ground and a distance away, the heron probably didn't view me as a threat. It appears that a heron's eyesight is three times more detailed than human vision, including sharp binocular focus & precise depth perception so I doubt I had gone unnoticed, even though I was surrounded in tall marsh grasses. Vision like that would certainly be an incredible asset in wildlife photography. 

A warm summer evening & a setting sun, what better time for a heron to tend to some scratching (Photo #4 through Photo #6) and grooming (Photo #7 through Photo #10). 

And then all good things must come to an end and the heron flew back into the seclusion of the marsh.

PHOTO #1

PHOTO #2

PHOTO #3

PHOTO #4

PHOTO #5

PHOTO #6

PHOTO #7

PHOTO #8

PHOTO #9

PHOTO #10