Hi TJ I looked at the beak but it seems a lot shorter than that of the Dowitcher (a short-billed one at that!). I enlarged the pic a little -does this help? Thanks Shyamala

Thanks, BN. The sunset reflected off the heron made me unsure of which kind it was. I see the Great blues here in NE Illinois quite often - look like missiles shooting through.

Looks like a Pine Grosbeak. BN

Greatly appreciate it, BN! Most of the birds I posted here for ID (the Pine Grosbeak, Common Eiders, Osprey, Ring-Necked Kingfisher, the Sandpiper and the Common Yellowthroat) are all lifers for me! Thanks to all who took the time to identify them from not-so-great pictures! This post was edited by ggopal on Mon, Feb 3, 14 at 14:59