I never used to look up in the trees while walking along the water, because I was so focused on otters and harbor seals. One day I startled a night heron near the Coast Guard Pier, and I watched it fly off to perch in a tree. From then on, I kept an eye on the tree. Lo and behold, there's a small group of 4 trees, 3 cypress and 1 willow, each with its own night heron for most of the last half of this year. I wonder if I'll get to see them make a nest or two in the coming months. Once I started looking up, I also started seeing lots of great egrets and great blue herons (not pictured here) perched all along the Rec Trail. Whoa! How could I have been so blind to all these large birds above my head? I don't know if it's only my new found awareness, or if the herons and egrets are actually numerous this year. For certain, I have seen more snowy egrets than in years past. They're all so elegant and fashionable.
