With a clear blue sky and low humidity, I scrapped my plan to take a day off from running and at 7:15am headed outdoors. One of my running routes crosses through a park with a small pond where there are always ducks and geese. Often, I see a great white heron/egret, occasionally a black-crowned night heron. This morning, a great blue heron was at the water's edge. It's long neck was extended, and I believe it had one eye on me. Though I moved quietly, the heron crossed over to the other side of the pond. When another runner came along the path, the heron took off over the trees and out of sight. It's a grand sight to see a great blue heron fly. In size, it is approximately 5 pounds, but has a wingspan of six feet! On the Cornell Lab of Ornithology site listed below, you can hear the call of the great blue heron, an odd croaking sound.
I love to watch the movements of herons. They are completely still while "fishing". Their necks range from fully retracted, to a graceful "s", to complete extension parallel to the rest of their body. When they take off to fly, there is a "whoosh" and they are over the trees quickly. While the black-crowned night heron is the most widespread heron in the world, they are difficult to spot, especially since they are generally out at dusk blending in with the shadows.
The National Audobon Society chose the Great Egret in flight as its symbol in 1953. Part of the original mission of the Audobon Society was to prevent the killing of birds for their feathers. In the late 1890's, plumes were used to decorate the hair, hats and dresses of women. At that time, the American Ornithologist's Union estimated that five million birds were killed each year for fashion.
Of course, poets are interested in herons, too. Mary Oliver has a poem entitled "Egrets" in American Primitive and "Some Herons" in House of Light. A poem by Jane Hirshfield states, "I don't know about herons, their solitary habits..."
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Blue_Heron/lifehistory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Egret
I love to watch the movements of herons. They are completely still while "fishing". Their necks range from fully retracted, to a graceful "s", to complete extension parallel to the rest of their body. When they take off to fly, there is a "whoosh" and they are over the trees quickly. While the black-crowned night heron is the most widespread heron in the world, they are difficult to spot, especially since they are generally out at dusk blending in with the shadows.
The National Audobon Society chose the Great Egret in flight as its symbol in 1953. Part of the original mission of the Audobon Society was to prevent the killing of birds for their feathers. In the late 1890's, plumes were used to decorate the hair, hats and dresses of women. At that time, the American Ornithologist's Union estimated that five million birds were killed each year for fashion.
Of course, poets are interested in herons, too. Mary Oliver has a poem entitled "Egrets" in American Primitive and "Some Herons" in House of Light. A poem by Jane Hirshfield states, "I don't know about herons, their solitary habits..."
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Blue_Heron/lifehistory
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