As a Wildlife Photographer I'm always interested in rare birds that have made an appearance in Southern Arizona. So I check ABA's Birding News for sightings in Arizona on a daily basis.
Two days ago there was a report of a Little Blue Heron at Lake Cochise in Willcox (about an hour and 15 minutes southeast of Tucson).
The Little Blue Heron is a "coastal" bird primarily along the Gulf of Mexico including the US, Mexico, Central America, and further south to Uruguay. It is also found on both sides of the Gulf of California and south to Peru.
Where did this little guy come from? Hard to say for sure, but most likely the Gulf of California since it is much closer.
Juvenile Little Blues are white and very similar to Snowy Egrets. As such they sometimes "flock" together. The juvenile then turns dark blue as an adult and becomes more solitary.
When wading it is in search of small fish and crustaceans. Along the shore its diet is mainly grasshoppers and other insects.
My trip was successful as I did find the Little Blue. In fact, it was a "Four Heron Day": Little Blue, Great Blue, Black Crowned Night, and Green Heron. I will show the Little Blue today, with photos of the others next.
Today, the Little Blue Heron
Here he is on a small "island" in the middle of Lake Cochise with some American Avocets and a Black Necked Stilt:
Here he is along the lakeshore looking for grasshoppers:
And here he is flying back to the other side of the lake:
