Beautiful Great Blue Heron and Shadows

Great blue heron on the rocks – babsjeheron

“I was crying because I can’t get my shadow to stick on.”
“It has come off?”
“Yes.”
Then Wendy saw the shadow on the floor, looking so draggled, and she was frightfully sorry for Peter. “How awful!” she said, but she could not help smiling when she saw that he had been trying to stick it on with soap.

Peter Pan and Wendy
Chapter 3
J.M. Barrie
Peter Pan

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Drifting slowly towards the mouth of the creek, I saw a heron feather, a grey-blue blur bobbing against the green waters along the north shore.

Wedging the nose of the kayak into the mud under the old oaks, I scooped up the feather with my paddle blade. I had just bent forward to secure it under the deck bungee when a large shadow passed overhead.

A burst of feathers exploded onto the shore a couple of yards to my east. A great blue heron, so close. He obviously hadn’t seen the kayak under the tree canopy on his landing approach.

As I fumbled to get the camera out of the dry sack, another larger shadow cruised over my head, and a second heron swooped in about eight feet from the first.

Two herons, so close. So close!

Over the years, shadows have played a pivotal role in many of my experiences on the water. Such as the time a Bald Eagle shadow startled me as it unexpectedly passed over the kayak from stern to bow or the time a Great Blue Heron shadow was the only forewarning of the bird about to land just four feet off my starboard side and crash the conference call in progress. (Yes, a conference call from a kayak in the cove.) Please click here to see the time a Great Blue Heron decided I was “the lesser of evils.”

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If the Great Blue Heron sees his shadow
Does it mean six more weeks of winter??

Shadow of A Great Blue Heron – babsjeheron

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Thanks to Cee for her CFFC: Nature Animals.
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Thanks to Paula for her Thursdays Special: Pick a Word in May.
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This week’s Lens Artist challenge from the always inspiring and creative artists Patti, Tina, Amy, and Leya, focuses on Shade and Shadows. Check out the Lens Artists’ Shade and Shadows photos here:

From Patti Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 152: Shade and Shadows .
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From Tina Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 152: Shade and Shadows .

From Amy Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 152: Shade and Shadows .

From Leya Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 152: Shade and Shadows .

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Folks, now that some areas are opening back up, please consider supporting your local Arts communities – whether music, theater, crafts, visual arts venues, and others. All have been impacted over the past year and they need your love.

My brick & mortar presence in Massachusetts dates back to 2009 in several local venues/galleries.

2015 (May), 2016 (March and July), 2018 (May, June, July), 2019 (December), 2020 (January) several one-woman photography shows at TCAN – The Center for Arts Natick
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2018 (September, October) one-woman photography show at Natick Town Hall
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2013 thru now 2021 Five Crows Gallery in Natick
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2009 one-woman photography show at a local Audubon Sanctuary
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From December 4 through January 28, 2020, my Great Blue Heron photographs were once again on display on the walls of the lobby and theater in a free one-woman show at the Summer Street Gallery, of The Center for Arts in Natick.

Many of the photos in the exhibit were shown for the first time, and do not appear on the blog. As always, many of the photos were taken on the waterways of the Charles River watershed.
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Thanks to Erica V and WordPress for the recent WPC: Place in the World. My favorite place is where the Herons are, of course it is. And the Herons? Their place is near the water, but also on the gallery walls and my blog. How else can I share them with you?

Thanks also to Ben H and WordPress for their WPC Challenge: Liquid. The Herons are drawn to water, as am I.
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Remember: Walk softly and carry a long lens.™

The Tao of Feathers™

© 2003-2021 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)

Great Blue Heron, TCAN, Five Crows, Natick