At the top of the World, or maybe even higher

For several years now, I've known of a nesting area for the herons and egrets of the area right off the expressway heading into Chicago.  The former corporate campus of ATT has a large pond in the front with an island smack dab in the middle of it which is perfect for these creatures.  No access to the island, only viewing from a distance.  I've often driven the "loop" around the island and seen many nesting birds in the trees.  For some reason, this summer the island is more populated than ever and I'm seeing more young ones than ever.  Unfortunately, the young ones are small and they of a darker color so they don't show up as well in photos.  But, the fully white adults stick out like a sore thumb.  Some days, just in the few seconds it takes to pass the area, I can count around 20-25 full grown adults sitting in the trees or in the pond fishing.  I haven't really had any chances to go hang out there this summer, but today in midafternoon, I made a point to stop when I saw all the white specs sitting in the trees.  The shots tonight are of the same bird just from different perspectives.  Before I even put the camera up to my eyes, I knew this would be a special shot with the lone bird perched high up in the trees with the turbulent clouds in the background.