On the hunt for the mysterious night heron

Black-crowned night heron

There's a black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) that I've seen a few times at Mud Lake in Ottawa. Although these birds are very widespread with sub-species apparently present in most of the continents, this is only the second one I've seen; much more familiar to me is the great blue heron (Ardea herodias), which you can find in just about any wetland in North America.

I tried to get pictures of the night heron, but the best I could do was a slightly out-of-focus capture before it flew away. I guess this bird is quite a bit more easily spooked than its larger cousin.

Great Blue Heron