This long-legged bird was out for a stroll in West Ocean City on Sunday afternoon. I wasn't able to get close enough for good pictures. The bird prefers to walk, but it certainly can fly well, and that's what it did when I got closer than it liked. The bird has an impressive wingspan, but it didn't fly very high. It skimmed across the wetlands and landed at the edge of the bay, well out of camera range.
The same bird, or one just like him, turned up later Sunday afternoon standing in a storm-water drainage ditch at the side of a road. By then the light had faded, and I couldn't get a picture.
Today, the bird, tentatively identified as a gray heron, or maybe a blue heron, has taken up residence at the roadside ditch. I think there is something in the water that he (or she) likes to eat.
The top three pictures were taken today, and they are not very good, in part because it was so overcast. The pictures were enhanced using iPhoto to make the heron more visible. His coloring and the gray winter light make him blend right into the background. He casts a reflection in the water that is almost as sharp as the pictures. I made the green and red tint artificially bright, to help him stand out from the grass. The red also helps to bring out the beak.
This seems to be a solitary creature. It is not easily frightened. I suspect it has few natural enemies. A barking dog doesn't bother it much, and neither does a car or truck. You can drive right up to it in a car, which it probably sees as a harmless lumbering animal. But it is shy and won't let a human being walk very near. I hope it sticks around for better pictures on a sunny day.
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