I'm not sure what I felt. First surprise and excitement; I've never seen one of these wild creatures close up. Gratitude, curiosity, a little disappointment when it spied me and took off, rising in a long arc over the garden and into the trees. Admiration, wonder.
A couple of years ago one surprised me while I was doing some gardening chores. I heard a flutter and flapping above, and just caught sight of a dark, giant creature leaving the top of a Blue Atlas Cedar next to the house. And I remember thinking, had I lived in ancient times, I might have understood this as a visit by one of the gods, something wondrous, more heard than seen.
But we live in an age of reason, and I dismissed that wonder and surprise, knowing it was just a heron leaving a perch in a tree.
The pictures are of wild turkeys visiting my living room window (excuse the reflections on the glass). I didn't get a photo of the heron.
Micha, thanks for the visit. I'll check out your blogs.
ReplyDeleteHello James;
ReplyDeleteTen years back our trout pond was loaded with crayfish and frogs and salamanders of all types. I'd catch a trap full of crayfish for a day of bass fishing in an hour. But then a decline became obvious and pretty soon the crayfish were difficult to even see and frogs could be counted on one hand.
A local person aware of environmental issues tried to tell me it was water runoff from the adjacent road and swamp. I listened but didn't comment. What had actually happened was a heron rookery 20 miles away was "relocated" by a growing population of raccoons near a large landfill, and our numerous new neighbors, the herons, found the trout pond and a good meal menu.
We enjoy the big birds, the occaisional ospreys grabbing trout and the wild turkeys finding insects along the pond border. We try not to confuse environmental changes with some of the direct changes. Today is Blog Action Day and the issue is Climate Change. Guess I should get writing.
Thanks for continuing to bring us fine pictures, fine writing!
George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Damn that age of reason ruining perfectly good visits by the divine. I know you're a reasoned fellow, but I thought that was more than just a spark of the unreasoned in you. There is, right? Yes. I can see that from reading your post. Stop being reasoned--you'll never take off with that heron unless you do.
ReplyDeleteThose turkeys should be careful, particularly as Nov. approaches. There are places in this country where a rifle would be poked out that door for an easy dinner.
ReplyDeleteLes @ atidewatergardener.blogspot.com
George -
ReplyDeleteI noticed a marked decline in the frog population during the summer. I think that (those?) heron(s) may be the culprit(s).
Benjamin -
ReplyDeleteI do have a mystical leaning. Reason doesn't always win.
Les -
ReplyDeleteWe had to put up a deer fence so the turkeys can no longer get to the house. I hear they're very tough anyway.