I was looking for owls Friday night in the north of Central Park.  The hunt was unsuccessful but I did get to watch the activity that occurs after darkness falls.

Around the Loch and The Pool this means Raccoons and Rats coming out for the night, and ducks figuring out where to sleep for the night. 

What surprised me this evening was a Great Blue Heron that flew in fifteen minutes after dark.  While each winter, a sighting of a Great Blue Heron in The Loch, especially when most surounding water bodies are frozen isn’t unusual, it always surprises me.