TMI: An Odd Bird

I definitely would not classify myself a bird watcher. Maybe at best I'm a bird noticer who coudn't really name too many species. Anyway about a year ago, a strange-looking bird decided to call my apartment complex its home. At first, I'd be lucky to catch a glimpse of it about once every few weeks. Usually it would be at 2AM, when I'd be dragging myself home after working too late or catching a late movie optionally followed by a very late dinner or very early breakfast at Denny's. [I'd like to say I had been out clubbing instead, but too many people know me too well.] As soon as the bird would see me, it would dart off and disappear into the darkness. I figured I might be a figment of my imagination [particularly the type of imagination that kicks in after 2AM where I think I have a great idea, write it down, read it the next morning, then think to myself, "How did I come up with such a stupid idea?"], so I only mentioned it to a few people (who didn't seem to care). I worried if I told more people, they'd start looking at me the way people looked at Big Bird when he was still the only character who witnessed Mr. Snuffleupagus.

But tonight the bird decided to appear shortly after sunset for everyone to see. One lady who's lived at the same apartment complex as long as me if not longer was outside her apartment smoking a cigarette just 10 ft. from the bird. So I decided to talk to her.

"Do you know what kind of bird that is?" I asked.
"I think it's an Ereu."
"Arrow? How do you spell that?"
"T-H-A-T." [we both laugh] "No I think it's E-R-E-U. Usually I only see that guy hanging out after midnight pecking for bugs. Maybe he's injured because he's not running away from anybody. I'm going to see if he wants some bread crumbs. Have a nice weekend."

At that point she entered her apartment, and I rushed to my apartment to surf the Internet for this mysterious Ereu. Just one reference that it may be a type of a sandpiper but no pictures. Other sandpiper pictures look close, but my bird has almost no neck and a shorter beak.

I tried a site called http://whatbird.com, but after much time, the closest I come up with is a Midnight Heron.

Oh well, I give up, and chase the bird down with my camera. Hopefully, I didn't blind it with my flash. It's a smart bird, as soon as it heard the autofocus kick in again, it flew away. Can anybody help identify this?