Heron or Great Egret

We have a couple of very large Herons/Great Egrets on the canal. They are sooooo hard to get on film. Unlike the Muscovy ducks and Whistling Ducks, these big birds are very skiddish. I have tried to capture them for over a year.

I hope this gives you an idea of the size of this dude. He is over 3 feet tall. Maybe 4. It's hard to gauge.

Look at him in relation to this full grown duck.

One BIG BIRD!

When he flies away, his wing span is over 6 feet across. Quite something.

EDIT: My brother called it. Its a stork. A wood stork! Wow! Thanks Rob! You can read about the wood stork here: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Stork/id