Put a Beautiful Great Blue Heron on a Pedestal? Who, me?
Great Blue Heron on a Pedestal – babsjeheron
And when I’ve reached the end of my days, may I be found with a Great Blue Heron’s nest built within my ribcage.
With apologies to Robert Macfarlane
The Old Ways
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Thanks to Jen H and WordPress for this week’s WPC Challenge: Satisfaction/. In more than a dozen years kayaking that area of the lake, I had observed a Great Blue Heron atop that tree pedestal only once – and at that time, before I could raise the camera, a pod of kayaks approached from the north, flushing the Great Blue. It was very satisfying to finally stumble across her there two weeks ago. I observed through binocs and telephoto lens from a distance for nearly an hour as she slept and then preened and then slept some more, perched on one leg the whole time.
Thanks also to Paula for hosting her Thursday’s Special: Slow. It was a slow hour spent watching the Great Blue Heron languidly perched atop her pedestal. I was grateful to be in her presence, the two of us alone in a fine drizzle in the cove.
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Through July 13, 2017 I was a Featured Artist at the Five Crows Gallery in Natick, MA. Drop in and see the work of the many wonderfully creative artists who show there when you’re in the area.
Five Crows is on FaceBook. To give the gallery a visit, please click here.
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From July 1 through July 30, 2016, I was the Featured Artist of the Month at the Summer Street Gallery. The Great Blue Heron photographs once again graced the walls of the lobby and theater in a one-woman show at The Center for Arts in Natick. In addition to the visual arts shown at the gallery, TCAN has a lively, dynamic lineup of upcoming performing artists.
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Remember: Walk softly and carry a long lens.™
The Tao of Feathers™
© 2017 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)
Great Blue Heron, Kayaking, TCAN, Five Crows
Posted on August 10, 2017, in ardea herodias, Art, Audubon, Bird photography, DPchallenge, Great Blue Heron, Nature, Photography, Photography challenge, postaday, Weekly Photo Challenge, Wildlife Photography and tagged Five Crows, great blue heron, TCAN. Bookmark the permalink. 31 Comments.
Babsje Heron 
Yes he is beautiful.
Hi Margaret – Many thanks for your kind comment. I’m glad you find this Heron beautiful, too. Best, Babsje
She is beautiful. How can you tell she is a girl?
Hi Paula – I’m glad you like this one
Thanks for your kind words and your good question about how can I tell this is a female. The short answer is that I have been watching this Great Blue for several years and so I know her. Earlier I wrote in a post ways to tell if a Heron is male or female. Here’s the link: https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com/2013/09/05/whos-your-daddy-daily-prompt-identify/ Also, thanks for your great Thursday’s Special. Your own photo for the “slow” challenge is exquisite. Best, Babsje
Thank you, Babsje.
You’re welcome!
So very well placed!
Hi Tish – Thanks for your kind words. Of course, I take no credit for placing the Great Blue on the pedestal that day, just a case of being in the right place at the right time. 😅 I can’t begin to count the number of times I actively tried to will a Heron to occupy that pedestal – or any number of other “photogenic” spots. And speaking of photogenic, you’ve been really staying on top of your own blog this year. Lovely to see. Best, Babsje
Much appreciate your kind words. Maybe should be applying myself elsewhere however.
Hi Tish – You’re welcome. I’m not 100% certain what you mean, but I genuinely enjoyed your post about the book shop, and your photos were lovely – they drew me in and made the experience of being amongst the books there seem very real and immediate – especially the reflections in the round mirror, very creative. There’s a quote from M.F.K. Fisher in “As They Were” that says “Do what you most want to do, whether or not it is of value to anyone else.” I think those are good words to live – or blog – by. Best, Babsje
Those are very excellent words, thank you, Babsje. You might well have hit a big nail on the head there too. It’s good to boil things down to basic tenets. I shall go ponder. Am so glad you enjoyed the visit to Scarthin Books.
You’re welcome, Tish, I’m glad they resonated with you. And yes, I definitely enjoyed your book shop post. In fact I’m headed to a local bookstore today. I usually have 3 or 4 books in progress at any time. In terms of the M.F.K. Fisher quote, it has been a touchstone for me. Best, Babsje
Gorgeous capture, Babsje. 😃
Hi Sylvia – Thanks so much for your kind words. I’m happy to know you like this one. More importantly, I hope your eye surgery has worked out well. That can be frightening. The technology today is amazing
Thinking of you. Best, Babsje
Thanks so much, Babsje. xx
You’re welcome! 😅
Majestic! What a shot
Hi Russel – so glad you like this Heron, many thanks for your kind comment. I’ve been appreciating your own blog over the years, too. The turret on the Del Mar Castle is a bit of striking architecture. Best, Babsje
Glad you finally captured her!
Many thanks! I’m glad to have been in the right place at the right time at last. Best, Babsje
Superb !
Thanks for your kind words. Glad you liked this one. Best, Babsje
Magnificent and great tip on The Old Ways…..I must get that…you find such great literature and poems on nature and herons specifically.
Hi Judy – Many thanks for your kind words. I’m a voracious reader, and come across references to Herons when least expected. It’s surprising really, and a secret pleasure, to see how many poets and authors have an eye for them. Best, Babsje
Yeah that is a great thing really, I was thinking to mine your site for some good ones and look up the authors. It is cool to put the heron poetry together like a collection.
Thanks, Judy, it’s great that you appreciate the work I’ve done curating. Many many hours have gone into my posts. I am extremely careful to always link back to Amazon for anything I have quoted so all authors, songwriters, poets, or their estates will benefit financially, and all usages fall under the fair use doctrine. I would prefer that nobody “mines” my site, which is copyrighted, for content. But anyone can search duckduckgo or google. Best, Babsje
LOL, oh I didn’t mean in the disrespect of intellectual property sense, just following those links of yours to find the poetry too. As you say poems with herons specifically are best found in a serendipitous manner as I have done searches looking at times and came up fairly dry. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I am on the same page on attribution. In fact this is why I don’t use Google. They scan copyrighted books and expect the authors to find them and decline rather than ask permission first. That defeats the purpose of copyright. Ouu just saw you mentioned Google, that’s ok, I just am philosophically reluctant to go there unless I have to. But point well taken. Sorry.
Perfect, Judy, thanks so much for your understanding and apolgises if I came across harshly, that was not intended at all. I prefer duckduckgo to that alternative, myself. Mary Oliver has many beautiful poems about birds, Herons, Egrets, but you’re probably already aware. I like your choice of the word “serendipitous.” Finding things by serendipity is a delight. Best, Babsje
Bad choice of words on my part. 🙂
On mine too! 😊
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