black-crowned night herons

Black-crowned night herons … in Oakland? Yes. A lot of them. And other birds too. Lake Merritt has quite the array of bird life, including on this day white pelicans and cormorants (not pictured). Oakland even has a bird sanctuary, featuring aviaries, dried-up pool/fountain works, and small islands just off shore exclusively for the birds (Lake Merritt Bird Sanctuary). They even have pigeons.

black-crowned night heron

juvenile black-crowned night heron