Finally a Heron

For the past several weeks, I've been wondering when the herons would return to the small pond in the park I run through most mornings. Today, one beautiful great blue was on the edge of the water. I slowed down so I wouldn't disturb it. We eyed each other, and then I continued on my way.

Later, a friend and I packed our bikes to ride a section of the D and R Canal Towpath. We started in New Brunswick at Johnson Park near Rutgers University.

After walking the bikes across a slightly flooded spillway, we set out along the path, hoping for a smooth ride and some local wildlife. Unfortunately, due to recent flooding, this section of the path was filled with loose gravel, which made the ride bumpy and slow.

There were turtles and birds. And at the end of the 20 miles (round trip) there was a great blue heron on the edge of a large puddle right there in Johnson Park. I'm sure it was not the same bird, but definitely a relative.

Apparently a better part of the trail is the section that starts off Alexander Avenue in Princeton (near the kayak rentals) and heads toward Frenchtown/Trenton. Next time...

Herons

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

Welcome Distractions

My bird theme continues! When I started for my usual run, distracted by thoughts of the dreaded packing, there on a lawn was a stunning goldfinch. Even though this is the NJ state bird, I seldom see them. The yellow on this particular bird was so bright, especially in contrast with the black markings. (Here's a picture, a little bit bigger than I would like, but I'm still learning how to navigate this blog. ) The bird looped around before taking off and definitely got me "in the moment". I think it was a male during breeding time, hence the beauty!

Does anyone else feel that you have to take care of every tiny detail before you travel? Even if you're only going for a short time? YIKES!

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Goldfinch/id

Halcyon Birds and Halcyon Days

When used as a noun, a halcyon refers to a mythical bird similar to a kingfisher, which is a colorful, tropical bird. Many pictures of real kingfishers can be found online, and the information below is from Wikipedia and relates to the use of the phrase "halcyon days".

Halcyon which gives its name to the family Halcyonidae is a mythical bird similar to the kingfisher. Ovid and Hyginus both also make the metamorphosis the origin of the etymology for "halcyon days", the seven days in winter when storms never occur. They state that these were originally the seven days each year (either side of the shortest day of the year) during which Alcyone (as a kingfisher) laid her eggs and made her nest on the beach and during which her father Aeolus, god of the winds, restrained the winds and calmed the waves so she could do so in safety. The phrase has since become a term used to describe a peaceful time generally.

A blue sky Sunday like today resulted in a true "halcyon day" for me. In truth, though, it's the calm before the storm as I look at my list of all the errands and packing I have to do for my trip!