Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Yellow-crowned Night Heron (YCNH) at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens on June 26, 2026. The lotuses at Kenilworth are nearly at peak bloom so I took two trips (June 24 and June 26). What I wasn't expecting was not only was there one YCNH but two! A fellow birder saw a third but I only saw two at the same time. While this one was more skittish, the other one with a shorter head plume was more tolerant of people. This individual was hard to walk around, even several feet away. I expect to make a few more trips this summer just for the YCNH's.

I rented a new lens, the NIKKOR Z 100-400mm, early June for the photographers hours at Brookside Gardens butterfly exhibit. The sharpness on the lens was impressively outstanding and I immediately knew I needed it in my lens rotation. I had one ordered before the rental was dropped off for shipping. It weighs 1.5 pounds less and though it isn't up to snuff for further subjects, the minimum focus distance is a mere 3.2 feet at 400mm; just over 2 feet at 100mm. You can shoot straight down with this lens, something I am unable to do with the 180-600's ~7.5 feet minimum focus distance. I am not getting rid of my 180-600 and consider this new lens a complement to it.

Lens - NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S @ 180mm on Nikon Z8