Rogue herons (original post 7/22/12)

There are twenty teams in my Friday night softball league in Lincoln Park.  There are two fields allocated for our use.  Consequently, there are two games starting on the hour, every hour, beginning at 6:00.  This week, we drew the short straw and had the 10:00 pm game.  As we were strolling down Stockton Drive from our parking spot near the zoo, we noticed a squawking commotion.  "Ah, the chickens are having a party," I said.  Although I noticed that one of the footpaths parallel to Stockton was fenced off, I brushed it off as one of the city's neverending city improvement projects ("Building a Better Chicago!" claim the many street signs).  We neared Field #1, and I noticed a bird hanging out in the lawn, pretending to be a lawn ornament.  A bird that most definitely should not be there.  Given the poor lighting (and OK, I'll admit, my weak birding skills), I couldn't tell exactly what it was...roughly the size of a duck, but more slender and graceful, and standing more upright.  It was a brownish color, with lighter spots.  What the hell WAS this? I thought, as I stalked the poor skittish bird through the shadows (and my teammates tried to put as much distance between me and themselves as possible).  An American bittern?  No, too rare.  I tried getting a crappy camera phone shot, but the lighting was too dim, and the bird finally got pissed enough to hop clumsily over the aforementioned fence.  Right over the laminated sign that said "Do Not Disturb--Black-Crowned Night Heron Nesting Area".  Evidently, those cheeky little bastards decided to nest near an urban footpath, and the park district had to obligingly put up a fence to protect them from meddling cityfolk.  The one I saw must have been a juvenile, because it certainly was not the dapper gray poster child for black-crowned night herons.  So cool!  On the way back to the car, it was confirmed that the chicken party was actually the night herons--they were numerous, and very active.  Ohhhhhhh...hence the name!