Blue Heron
Pioneers called these birds “Shike pokes” although references suggest that term should be used for the Green Heron … also seen in the Gardens and while the reference to “blue” is
sometimes difficult to recognize, the “green” are easily distinguished. There is a subspecies of the “blue” that is white, but most of the NW’s herons appear to be a slate gray or gray-brown. Once thought to be threatened in the U.S. (from hunting when every boy walked with a .410 shotgun), they have seen an amazing comeback in the past decades.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/the-great-blue-heron-what-to-know-about-seattles-official-bird-and-where-to-spot-them/
https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/species/ardea-herodias
https://www.instagram.com/p/C7t4hpiRyWJ/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_blue_heron
https://www.onthewingphotography.com/wings/2020/11/10/great-blue-herons-arent-really-blue-so-whats-up-with-their-name/
The Great Blue Heron actually has what color feathers in south Florida?
Comments, content, questions appreciated; email bb@plc215.org