Immature Little Blue Heron

Sighting
This immature Little Blue Heron was standing quietly in the back waters of the Caroni Swamp as our boat approached. We were able to get quite close to the bird before it flew down the channel.

Species
Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea breeds in the Gulf states of the US, through Central America and the Caribbean south to Peru and Uruguay. It is a resident breeder in most of its range, but some northern breeders migrate to the south eastern US or beyond in winter. There is post-breeding dispersal to well north of the nesting range, as far as the Canada–US border.

Status and Distribution
It is a species of least concern with a decreasing population in its large range. It is a common resident in the wetlands and tidal mudflats of Trinidad. It is less numerous on Tobago. Numbers are increased by migrants from north and south America.

References
BirdLife; Wikipedia; World Bird Names; Kenefick, M., Restall, R., and Hayes, F. (2015) Birds of Trinidad and Tobago, Bloomsbury Publishing, page 50.

Photograph
It was photographed in a dark channel at 1/1000th of a second at f5.6 and ISO 800.