The Bird Collection

Black-crowned Night Heron, Spring Runoff

Night Watch

With its deep red eye and sharp crown, the Black-crowned Night Heron stands poised above the rush of the river. It’s dusk, the current is swift, yet the bird remains still — alert, focused, timeless.

Night herons are often overlooked, their habits more discreet, their movements less flamboyant than their larger cousins. But here, in the soft, diffused light and the blur of flowing water, their quiet intensity becomes impossible to ignore.

I waited, camera on tripod, shutter speed slowed, to let the river paint itself into a silky flow. The heron gave me just enough time — just enough stillness — to capture the contrast: wild water in motion and the unflinching grace of a nocturnal hunter.

It’s a moment where patience meets precision, and where nature reminds us that stillness, too, has strength.