photo by Greg Hofmann

07/28/03: One of the slough’s signature birds, the Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), gives us a good look at one of its finer markings, the feathered ruff along the front of its neck. Its name means “heron of herons” – ardea is Latin for “heron,” and erodios is Greek for the same. This species is 60 million years old.