The Great blue heron, Ardea herodias, is an aquatic bird found throughout North and Central America.
They generally make their nests in trees, in a colony that they will return to year after year.
The males return first, but not necessarily to the same nest, and they usually add to the nest each time, so they are not always of the same one size.
They will lay 3-6 eggs per year, about two days apart, and hatch a few weeks later.
The first one to hatch usually becomes more aggressive, both with getting fed first, and more, which helps it to grow quicker and bigger.
As seen at Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park
24 March 2022.