Although the Black-crowned Night-Heron is one of the most common herons in the world, it is an uncommon sight, because it is primarily active at night. So it was quite the delightful surprise when, while walking my dog in the early evening, along a path we take often, I happened to spot this incredible bird among the reeds of a small, man-made pond between a busy highway and a retirement community in Kanata, Ontario, Canada. I didn't have a camera with me, so I ran home, traded the dog for my camera, and hurried back. Luckily, the heron was still there, standing so perfectly still in exactly the same position it was in when I left that, for a moment, I doubted whether it was even real. Then it turned its head, and that's when I took this photo.