Little green herons, commonly just called green herons these days are probably one of the most common birds to see around ponds and marshes and yet they get overlooked and misidentified on a regular basis. At this time of year it is not uncommon to see 4 or 5 of them at a time as young birds have left their nests and are feeding near the areas they were brought up in. Soon they will become more solitary and many will migrate though some will stay quite late into the fall. These birds stand about a foot high and are most commonly mixed up with bitterns, which are much more secretive. The other bird in these pictures is a greater yellowlegs. More on them in the next few days.