(Photo) Young black-crowned night heron

At the dam that connects Big Bend Lake and the Des Plaines River at dusk on Saturday, I saw a juvenile black-crowned night heron looking for fish. There was heavy rain earlier that day, and many fish were being pulled over the dam--making the fish easy pickings for the young avian.

Unlike the adults, the youthful heron has brown plumage with white speckles.