Anybody know what kind of bird this is?

[TreasonousBastard]

Taken on Long Island, NY at the end of January.

[Maddy McCall]

1. Maybe a blue heron? (you made beautiful photos of the bird!)

[TreasonousBastard]

3. Thanks-- just had the crappy little digital cam instead of...

the Nikon with the long lens. Still came out OK, though.

The backlighting killed the colors but I'm pretty sure this thing doesn't have the signature head plume of a Great Blue Heron. Might be some kind of egret, though-- the species are pretty close. The straight, yellow bill and white throat are definitely heronish.

There's an Audubon sanctuary down the road, and I'll print it out and see what they say when the place reopens in a month or two.

[XemaSab]

12. They don't have the signature head plume in the first year

Even in adult birds it can be tough to see.

The bill color, black cap, and overall gray plumage make this a Great Blue Heron.

As a general rule of thumb, egrets are usually white and herons are usually other colors. There are exceptions that prove the rule, but it's pretty safe to call dark birds herons and white birds egrets. :D

[Droopy]

2. I think it's a Heron

[KitchenWitch]

4. I am in third with Blue Heron

Fantastic birds.

[Eurobabe]

5. may be a juvenile blue heron?

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http://www.jrcompton.com/photos/The_Birds/herons/Herons.html&h=432&w=583&sz=39&hl=en&start=3&um=1&tbnid=JW3gaZ8LeWgiZM:&tbnh=99&tbnw=134&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dblue%2Bheron%2Bjuvenile%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26rls%3DGGGL,GGGL:2006-38,GGGL:en%26sa%3DG

[Shakespeare]

6. That's what I was thinking, too.

Looks like a heron, but not big enough/not enough plumage to be an adult.

[XemaSab]

13. Hard to judge size in these photos

In the first one he looks "stumpy," but in the second photo he looks the right size and shape.

[Haole Girl]

7. Where is Maestro?

Paging Maestro!! :hi:

[Maestro]

10. Hey KC2. You are funny.

But thanks for thinking of me. I think the rest here are right on target. This looks to be a Great Blue Heron and that is doing a good job fishing. :) They occur pretty much everywhere in the US.

[Haole Girl]

11. Thank you for answering your page! lol

:hi:

[trof]

8. I don't think it's a Great Blue.

Unless it's possibly a juvenile.
Some kind of lesser heron I think.
We're lousy with Blues down here.
Love to watch them fish.

One caught a mullet the other day.
Brought it up into the yard and stabbed it until it was dead.
Then flipped it and caught it in his beak, head first, and swallowed the whole damn fish.
Amazing.

[applegrove]

9. Yup. Looks like a blue heron to me.

[astral]

14. could also be a sandhill crane

http://www.pbase.com/henryhwong/sandhill_crane&page=all