Black-crowned Night-Heron

Palo Alto Baylands is abundant right now with Black-crowned Night-herons, as they make nests in preparation for new life. A lovely time to visit is in the evening as the sun's angle casts wonderful shadows and beautiful soft light as seen in this image. This particular heron was starting to doze off after a busy day of gathering twigs.

Black-crowned Night-Heron, a photo by Images of the Natural World on Flickr.

Nikon D300
AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4D IF-ED
AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E II

See bigger and better at: http://www.jacquelinedeely.com/Galleries/Birds/11716343_bRCuv#1314014461_DhsVM6n