Great Blue Heron
Almost every bird at Bear river has its favorite spot.
This Great blue heron found a little island of dry plants.
He often stands like a stick there waiting and watching.
Pelicans sometimes are passing by. No reaction.
***
I tried to photograph this heron a few times
but he never let me do it, always flew away leaving me frustrated.
This time he was tolerant of my presence.
If the heron keeps returning to the same spot it probably means the feeding is good there.
ReplyDeleteThese birds could be found by the dozens around lakes and sloughs in southern Minnesota when I was a boy -- probably still can be. Our nickname for them was "shypoke" or "shipoke." I am not certain how the word is spelled or how it originated, but that is how we pronounced it. A friend and I found an injured one and took it to a local minister who wrote a bird-watching column for a newspaper. That is how and when we learned the actual identity of the bird.
ReplyDeleteThey are very, very jumpy/skittery/shy by nature. You were fortunate to photograph them at all, Kaya.
Fram, thank you for your story. I reread it a few times. I like especially that you found the injured bird and brought it to a local minister. That is was so kind of you and your friend. I was touched deeply by this story.
ReplyDeleteThank you!!!
One of the advantages of growing up in a small town, Kaya, is that even ten- and eleven-year-old boys know everyone from the youngest to the eldest who live there. While my friend and I attended a church other than the one for which our "bird watcher clergyman" was the minister, we knew him in an informal sense and thought bringing the bird to him was the logical thing to do. So, we did it. Under his care, the "shypoke" regained its health and was returned to the wild.
DeleteMission accomplished, as someone once said.
Thank you, Kaya, both for the kind words and for the extra effort to ensure I was aware of your sentiments.
Fram, your life stories are always alive; it's so interesting to read them. I am glad that you retuned back and wrote the end of the shypoke's story. I am glad that everything turned out nicely.
DeleteAnyway, your story is priceless! And unforgettable!
See you here and there...
The hero loves you and he is not afraid of the pelicans.
ReplyDeleteNice shot. The details are superb!
ReplyDeleteDos preciosas fotografías, especialmente difícil la segunda en la que has conseguido reunir a la gran garza azul y al pelícano blanco.
ReplyDeleteUn abrazo,
Hay que tener mucha paciencia para capturar estas aves. Con constancia, se puede obtener buenos resultados, como tu lo has logrado.
ReplyDeleteBesos
ahh love it - i need to go to your lake to see some shore birds and others - our lake is so drying up only mallards are coming around although i think i saw a few seagulls in the distance the other day. My zoom on my camera isn't working, whine.
ReplyDelete