[Spunky]

When we put in a Koi pond this is the kind of Heron that came to check it out. We live in the Desert but have the Columbia River close by.

[thecodont]

That’s a Great Blue Heron. They never fail to impress me when I see them in flight.

Along with nearby Lake Merritt, there are a number of local quarry ponds and sag ponds (courtesy of the Hayward Fault) which attract these birds, so I see them now and then.

One afternoon up in Piedmont there was a Great Egret stationed next to a fountain (stocked with fish?) outside of one of the homes there. The cats didn’t know what to make of it.

[jimtorr]

When we put in a Koi pond this is the kind of Heron that came to check it out.

Don't tell the Fish & Game people, or your Koi pond could become a bird sanctuary.