Great blue heron

Down by the wharf, this heron spent the afternoon collecting goodies from the rocks at low tide.

And all the crabs were in hiding.

I passed by on the dock, stopped to watch him and take photos for a while, walked to the far end and returned. He was still in the same spot, very intent on cracks between the rocks.

A young man told me he'd been there long before I arrived.

Later, I approached from the path above the cliff. He ignored me, even as I climbed down the rocks towards him, knowing, I guess, that the last bit was impassible without ropes, slippery and steep. And he has wings! He caught something small while I watched, possibly a crab.

Note the long, dark feathers on the back of his head. Breeding adults, both male and female, develop these in the spring, as well as the extended "apron" at the breast.