1 of 2 - Photographed in March of this year, at the beginning of heron nesting season. This adult Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) was perched in a heavily pruned tree in downtown Oakland, part of an effort to relocate the herons to safer nesting grounds at Lake Merritt. This year, they opted to move into nearby ficus trees in the city, remaining on the busy Oakland streets, often dangerous for the little ones when they start to move about their nests and trees. The young night heron pictured in this photo is one of this year's fledglings at this urban colony.
Tags: Red Nycticorax nycticorax night heron heron herons black-crowned night heron oakland downton downtown colony rookery urban rookery city urban march 2018 spring california east bay bay area adult
2 of 2 - Photographed in March of this year, at the beginning of heron nesting season. This adult and juvie Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) were perched in a heavily pruned tree in downtown Oakland, part of an effort to relocate the herons to safer nesting grounds at Lake Merritt. This year, they opted to move into nearby ficus trees in the city, remaining on the busy Oakland streets, often dangerous for the little ones when they start to move about their nests and trees. The young night heron pictured in this photo is one of this year's fledglings at this urban colony.
Tags: oakland nycticorax nycticorax night heron black-crowned night heron city urban urban rookery birds herons 2018 march nesting pruned trees relocation olympus omd em1 m.zuiko 40-150mm blue sky
A young Black-crowned Night Heron in downtown Oakland tests his/her wings, either fledging or just about to fledge. This heron is part of a downtown colony of night herons and egrets, nesting in ficus trees in the middle of the city. There's an effort to lure them back to the trees of nearby Lake Merritt -- for a safer rookery area.
Tags: night heron black-crowned night heron heron juvenile fledgling fledging flapping tree ficus oakland downtown rookery colony bay area east bay urban wildlife urban rookery 2018 spring olympus omd em1mk2 m.zuiko 300mm
Takeout Night - I know Night Herons forage all kinds of scraps and carrion, but I’d never seen one eating a full-on burrito meal. S/he was sharing with an industrious Norway rat who hauled half the burrito down a long staircase and into a hideaway. Life in the Oakland wilds.
Tags: urban foraging fast food junk food garbage trash night heron black-crowned night heron oakland city urban wildlife burrito leftovers adult red eye wildlife bay area bay area san francisco bay area carrion eater herons birds wild animal animal evening
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) catching mole crabs on the Pacific (Central Coast, California)
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