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The Little Cahaba River in Alabama crosses our property and we see herons here from time to time but I've never seen this guy before! Any body know what he is? He's eating crawfish and makes a kind of screeching sound. He has long yellow legs, black medium length beak, grayish feathers, red eyes and a long feather that goes over the top of his head like a plume. He stops every now and then, leans over and spreads his tail feathers into a fan and dances around a little. I'll try to figure out how to post a photo.

 I'm new at this but I have posted a picture in Riverview Birds. Maybe it will help to identify.

Sounds like a Great Blue Heron.

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2008 Yard List: 118
Recent: Hooded Warbler, Black-billed Cuckoo
Highlights: Hoary Redpoll, Golden Eagle, Fish Crow
2008 Year List: 181
Recent: Alder Flycatcher, Green Heron
Highlights: Cackling Goose, Black Vulture, Merlin

Or a night heron?

mousebird:

Or a night heron?

I think you are right as Great Blue Herons don't have red eyes. I missed that.

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2008 Yard List: 118
Recent: Hooded Warbler, Black-billed Cuckoo
Highlights: Hoary Redpoll, Golden Eagle, Fish Crow
2008 Year List: 181
Recent: Alder Flycatcher, Green Heron
Highlights: Cackling Goose, Black Vulture, Merlin

Its a Reddish egret.

barredowl:

Its a Reddish egret.

Barredowl: It can't be a Reddish Egret, because the original poster said it had yellow legs, red eyes, and a black bill.

I agree that its probably a Night-Heron of some sort.

The picture shows it to be a yellow-crowned night heron.

Yep, photo shows a Yellow-crowned Night Heron.

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Warbler Life List: 35 species
Sparrow Life List: 18 species
Owl Life List: 9 species