When this bird landed near my kayak and started hunting, I didn’t have any idea what it was. The incredible rapier beak with striking blue and yellow highlights, a sleek body with deep purple and fields of blue with white borders on a living creature that I knew I had never seen before. It was an exhilarating photo shoot.

I quickly learned from friends on Facebook that it was a Green Heron and how could I not have the Merlin APP to identify birds? Another example of being way old school.

And what I learned online is:
the green heron is named for its color, although its green plumage isn’t always readily apparent, according to the National Audubon Society. The birds have green feathers on their backs, but they are iridescent so they can look black or dark blue unless seen up close or in the right light.

I saw nothing green on this bird anywhere. Even blown up as big as I could make it. So welcome to the blue Green Heron.