A question for you "bird brains"........

[pavel]

It's something I'm curious if any Audobon types out there might be able to answer -- considering I have no pics it's likely a long shot.

On the way home, I passed a large pond. My attention was first drawn to a pair of swans. I then noticed another bird but, considering the traffic, couldn't stop the car to get out and try for a better look.

Perched on a large log in the pond, not too far from the swans, was another bird that I could not ID. It's body stance remiinded me a little of a heron or egret but the feathers that I could see appeared to be a glossy, black -- the type that has blue highlights when the light strikes it from certain angles. Size-wise it was hard to tell but again seemed to be about the size of a hunched up heron. I live in south eastern Michigan in case that info helps.

[Diane]

There are a lot of different types of Herons, including Egrets and Bitterns. I would suggest you look up pictures of the Night Herons - they have less neck than a Great Blue and are quite dark. I believe there are a couple of varieties of Night Herons in your area, probably the Black Night Heron and the Yellow Some-thing-or-other Night Heron. It could also be a bittern, but they are very shy and I would be surprised if you saw one.

[the dragonn]

There are only a few all dark heron type birds in the USA and they are all fairly scarce in SE Michigan. It could be one of the night herons, although black crowned is mainly gray. More likely candidates are Green Heron, Little Blue Heron or possibly or a Glossy Ibis. Hope this helps.

[pavel]

Thanks Di & Steve!

Hopefully I will someday spot it again and get a better look.

I didn't know we even had any ibis native to north America! Guess I always just associated them with Africa -- Egypt in particular.

[Molly Taco]

We have white and glossy Ibis down here but I don't think that they go that far inland.
Cin