Gray Lodge Wildlife Area is a wetland preserve near Gridley, CA that is known for the variety of birds that it attracts. I was there for the first time on Monday with my Photography Club. I photographed 23 different species of bird and saw at least a half dozen more. After driving the auto loop, we took one of the trails and came upon this Green Heron in a small pond. The edge of the pond where the Heron was standing, was covered with an invasive species of aquatic plant called, among other names, Parrotfeather. Its dense mats of intertwined brownish stems in freshwater lakes, ponds, and canals, like the ponds at Gray Lodge compete with native plant species. The Green Heron didn’t seem to mind as he concentrated on finding his next meal.