Great blue heron

These herons are one of the six or seven birds that even non-birders can reliably name (along with your classic robins, blue jays, bald eagles, etc.) - a sort of ambassador species. I row on Argo Pond with the Ann Arbor Rowing Club, and even when we’re in the middle of a tough workout and everyone should really be focusing on the boat, there’s always a moment for someone to say, “Look, the heron!” and for everyone else to check him out. A picture of him accompanies our weekly water temperature email report. He is a minor celebrity.

This one is almost certainly a different individual than our Argo mascot, but no less mascot-worthy. There seemed to be a lot of little fish around and he seemed to plan to eat them all. He was still hunting when I left.