Beautiful Herons and Friends: There are No Wrong Answers
Two Red Tailed Hawks – babsjeheron
When I Met My Muse
I glanced at her and took my glasses
off–they were still singing. They buzzed
like a locust on the coffee table and then
ceased. Her voice belled forth, and the
sunlight bent. I felt the ceiling arch, and
knew that nails up there took a new grip
on whatever they touched. “I am your own
way of looking at things,” she said. “When
you allow me to live with you, every
glance at the world around you will be
a sort of salvation.” And I took her hand.When I Met My Muse
by William Stafford
Ask Me: 100 Essential Poems of William Stafford
Frequent visitors to this blog will have little doubt that the Great Blue Heron is my muse. But judging from viewing metrics, 2021 posts on this blog featured some very popular guest birds, too. The top dozen views from this year included a pair of Red Tail Hawks bathing together, a beautiful Mute Swan taking her Saturday night bath, and a male Osprey carrying half a fish.
Without further ado, here are the dozen most popular 2021 posts by views:
Top Views of Posts Written 2021 – babsjeheron
I have my own favorite photos and posts, but enough about me: as an artist, I’m more interested in YOUR favorites. Whether or not the Great Blue Heron is your own muse, I would love to know which posts or photos are your favorites. Please take a moment to chime in by adding a comment below. There are no wrong answers and I’d love to hear from you.
Beautiful Great Blue Heron Fledgling Surprise – babsjeheron
Beautiful Great Blue Heron Fledgling Surprise Click here to view post
Red Tail Hawks Saturday Night Bath – babsjeheron
Red Tail Hawks Saturday Night Bath Click here to view post
Beautiful Great Blue Herons Saturday Fun – babsjeheron
Beautiful Great Blue Herons Saturday Fun Click here to view post
Beautiful Great Blue Herons at Waterfalls – babsjeheron
Beautiful Great Blue Herons at Waterfalls Click here to view post
Beautiful Great Blue Heron and One Special Feather babsjeheron
Beautiful Great Blue Heron and One Special Feather Click here to view post
Epic Great Blue Heron Rescue Redux – babsjeheron
Epic Great Blue Heron Rescue Redux Click here to view post
Weird Wonderful Wordless Wednesday Whatzit – babsjeheron
Weird Wonderful Wordless Wednesday Whatzit Click here to view post
Beautiful Great Blue Heron Uses Tools Picks up Litter What a Day babsjeheron
Beautiful Great Blue Heron Uses Tools, Picks up Litter, What a Day Click here to view post
Beautiful Great Blue Heron Breaks into Flight – babsjeheron
Beautiful Great Blue Heron Breaks into Flight Click here to view post
Beautiful Great Blue Heron Gone Fishing – babsjeheron
Beautiful Great Blue Heron Gone Fishing Click here to view post
Beautiful Great Blue Herons Guest Osprey Fish Tail Lore – babsjeheron
Beautiful Great Blue Herons Guest Osprey Fish Tail Lore Click here to view post
Great Blue Heron and Friends Saturday Night Baths – babsjeheron
Great Blue Heron and Friends Saturday Night Baths Click here to view post
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Cee Neuner and the creative and inspiring Lens Artists Tina, Amy, Patti, and Leya all encourage the community of photographers and writers. Please click the links below to see the beautiful offerings from these wonderful photographers.
The focus for this week’s Lens Artist challenge hosted by Patti is “Serene.” I wish peace, joy, health, happiness and serenity to all in the coming new year.
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Thanks to Cee for her CBWC: Black and White Animals. A few of the photos here are monochromatic.
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From Tina Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 179: Serene .
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From Patti Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 179: Serene .
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From Amy Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 179: Serene .
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From Leya Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 179: Serene .
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Natick Center Cultural District logo
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 a half and they need your love more than ever.
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The Natick Center Cultural District is situated in a friendly, classic New England town hosting a vibrant, contemporary fusion of art, culture and business. Learn more!
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My brick & mortar presence in Massachusetts dates back to 2009 in several local venues/galleries.
Please watch this space for news of my upcoming Winter 2022 gallery show for the month of January at TCAN.
TCAN – The Center for Arts Natick
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Natick Town Hall
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Five Crows Gallery in Natick
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Audubon Sanctuary
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Be a fly on the wall! Please CLICK HERE to see the Great Blue Herons gracing the gallery walls.
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Remember: Walk softly and carry a long lens.™
May the Muse be with you.™
The Tao of Feathers™
© 2003-2021 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)
Great Blue Heron, Kayaking, TCAN, Five Crows, Natick
Posted on December 28, 2021, in # Lens-Artists, ardea herodias, Mindfulness, Monochrome Monday, Nature, Photography, Red tailed hawk, Wildlife Photography and tagged #fivecrows, Black and White, CBWC, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, TCAN. Bookmark the permalink. 56 Comments.
Babsje Heron 
Dear Babsje,
we love statistics too. A great idea to ask what your visitors like best.
Wishing you a wonderful new year, stay healthy and happy
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Many thanks for saying that! I’m always surprised by what images are most appreciated by other people – rarely are my personal favorites the ones that others choose. As they say, to each his own. Chacon a son gout. Wishing you and all the Fab Four of Cley a delightful New Year celebration and only good things in 2022. All my best to the Fab Four of Cley 😊 😊 😊 😊
Hi Babsje. My favorite isn’t listed. It was your story about the heron saved from the fire. I loved that one especially. Thanks for sharing others’ favorites. Next week you get to show yours!!
Hi Tina. Thanks so much for telling me which was your favorite. I know the one you mean and it is one of my own favorites, too. Best, Babsje
I like the first black and white in this post because it shows the beauty of the heron’s form. I also like photos where you show them carrying a feather. It’s almost as if they’re in the process of writing you a message.
Many thanks for your lovely comment. I like that you wrote that it’s almost like the Heron carrying a feather is in the process of writing me a message. That’s a beautiful notion to imagine. Best, Babsje
What……..no Baldies?? I guess we all have different loves.
Fantastic shots Babsje! You shine the light upon a beauty most can only dream of.
Hi Wayne. Your comment is poetic and I’m humbled that you said that I shine the light on their beauty… And maybe next year for the Bald Eagle love! Best, Babsje
you do Babsje! You show us how beautiful these Great Blues are!
Thanks so much Wayne! I appreciate your thoughtful words. You know, the Great Blue Herons do all the heavy lifting when it comes to their beauty. All I do is try to be present in the right time and place, with a camera of course. Thanks again. Best, Babsje
As a newcomer, I haven’t seen a lot of your older posts, but that swan photo is dazzling. And the bathing owls are funny, like little old ladies lifting their skirts but still getting their pantaloons wet.
I’m so glad you made time to check out some of those older posts, thanks for your lovely comment. I was thrilled to see those Red Tail Hawks and your observation is perfect: like little old ladies lifting their skirts but still ending up with wet pantaloons. I love how you said that. And also glad you appreciate the Mute Swan bathing. There were two of them taking a bath together that day but I couldn’t get them both in the same frame. Maybe next year? Best, Babsje
Spectacular photos. Your timing is always great 😀 😀
Hi Cee. Many thanks! You always say the nicest things! This was a fun challenge – thank you for hosting! Best, Babsje
Absolutely breathtaking shots! Happy Holidays, Babsje! 😁
Hi Tom. Thank you for your generous compliment and kind holiday wishes. I’m glad you like the wild bird photos. Wishing you and yours a wonderful 2022, too. Best, Babsje
It’s really easy to look at the statistics WordPress puts together – it would be more interesting if they tallied “likes” plus “comments”. That would really show which posts caught the most engagement. My personal favorites were the feather using herons, as well.
Thank you very much for your thoughtful comment. I’m happy that you like the Heron and feather photos. Metrics are tricky to parse. My dashboard is a very simple one. Have a lovely New Year’s Day! Best, Babsje
Wow… what a series, Babsje! Love your bird images!
Hi Amy, thanks so much for your kind compliment. I’m pleased that you like the birds. Wishing you and yours a lovely ending to 2021 and a great start to 22. Best, Babsje
Dear Babsje,
I can’t really pick a favorite–many, actually all, touch me in some way. What really calls me up short is the whole blog—the way it’s all about HERONS. I remember finding it for the first time and thinking, “Flippin’ Heck! How could anyone make a WHOLE BLOG just about herons?? How would you not run out of material? You have proven that the deep love and long time study of a single bird is so worthwhile, and endlessly interesting. Once I asked you what would happen in the winter, when the herons were gone. How would you blog then? Your answer was that they “live” on your computer twelve months a year…
😉
Thanks for the wonderful posts.
Kindest regards and Best Wishes for the New Year,
Julie
Hi Julie. Many thanks for your delightful and generous compliment. It means a lot. You’re right – during winter, the Herons live on in an endless spring, summer, and autumn in my photo archives. During the months when the lake is frozen over I’m not able to get out on the water to photograph them. Occasionally in winter I’ve seen a Heron from the commuter train rolling by a tunnel entrance that hasn’t frozen, and that was always a thrill. Just today, I observed a Bald Eagle sitting on the edge of the ice, but no Great Blues. Wishing you and yours a lovely and to 2021 and only good things to come in 22. Best, Babsje
Congratulations! I have featured this post on CBWC for the week.
Have a great New Years.https://ceenphotography.com/2021/12/30/cbwc-2-different-things-or-the-number-2/
Hi Cee. Many thanks for including the Herons! I’m honored by your thoughtful gesture. Wishing you and yours a lovely and warm wrap-up to 2021 and only good things for 2022!
Good job
Beautiful and animated photos, a great joy to behold, Babsje.
Hi Jet. Thanks so much for your generous compliment! I’m happy to know you like the Herons. I enjoyed your own post this morning! Wishing you and yours a lovely ending to 2021 and all good things in 22. Best, Babsje
Hi Babsje, It would be too hard to pick a favorite although I do like the two in which the blue heron is holding a white feather. I wonder what happened there. Your photographs are all so professional and unique. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Marsha. Many thanks for your generous compliment. I’m glad you like the two photos of the Heron holding the Seagull feather. If you’re curious about what was happening in those photos, this post tells the story of that Heron and her special feather: https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com/2021/09/14/beautiful-great-blue-heron-and-one-special-feather/ I hope 2022 is off to a great start for you and yours! Best, Babsje
Thanks Babsje. I hope you are having a wonderful 2022 so far and that it will continue to be so until December 31 at midnight.
You’re welcome Marsha, and thank you for your kind wishes for 22, too!
Loved the link, Babsje. 🙂
I’m glad to hear that, thanks Marsha. Here is another post about a Heron using a tool to fish – this time she is using a stick: https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com/2013/11/01/who-you-calling-a-birdbrain-great-blue-heron-fishing-with-a-twig/ Watching that day, I was puzzled by the Heron’s odd behavior until eventually it occurred to me that she was using the stick to stir the water and lure the fish up to the surface. Very clever bird!
I am amazed at how smart they are. We have herons on Watson Lake, but I don’t spend the hours watching them that you do.
Great that you can see Herons on your lake, too. It does take patience and time to observe them and sometimes I’m not really aware what they are doing until I can download the photos afterwards. Sometimes it’s a big surprise!
That must be a lot of fun. You get to see it twice – sort of. 🙂
Hi Marsha. Yes, you’re right about seeing it twice. I hadn’t thought of it that way until you mentioned it. 😊
And actually, you can review and review as much as you like and see something fresh each time.
Yes and isn’t that wonderful. It’s like re-reading a book multiple times watching a movie again and finding new things to appreciate. I’ve said many times that “no two days at the lake are the same.” Thanks for your great perspective.
Thanks for your great pictures and stories.
Hi – such a wonderful year in review post. And my fav of this post is the heron breaking free in flight or the “Beautiful Great Blue Herons Saturday Fun”
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cheers to all the nature love you bring to the blogosphere and Happy New Year
Many thanks for your lovely compliment. I’m glad you liked that Heron photo, too. Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy and nature-filled 2022! Best, Babsje
🙂
Well, I absolutely love everything about your blog, from the masterful photography of perhaps the most elegant bird ever, to your thoughtful observations and gorgeous poetry excerpts. My favorites among them all are the Wendell Berry excerpts in this post, particularly, when I met my muse and the incredible rescue story featuring the heroics of the ex-policeman/taxi driver. Thank you for sharing the beauty and wonder of nature through your lens!
Hi Susan. Thank you for your generous and thoughtful compliments. You picked out the same ones that are my own favorites. I hope 2022 is off to a good start for you and yours. Thanks again. Best, Babsje
Best wishes to you as well, Babsje!
Thanks Susan!
I’ve found a new love in photographing birds. Your photos are wonderful!
Hi Jill. Thanks so much for visiting and your kind comment. I’m pleased that you appreciate the Herons and I look forward to seeing some of your own bird photos. Best, Babsje
A lot of memorable moments last year. Here’s to more in this new year.
PS – Elizabeth sent you an email.
Hi David, thank you! I’ll toast to that – more memorable moments in 22. Thanks for the heads-up to check email, will do so later when I’m back at a computer. Best, Babsje
Hi Babsje, you’ve had a good year. I’m very fond of the first GBH with a feather, and the epic resue is also a wonderful capture.
Many thanks for your kind words. The Heron holding the Seagull feather is one of my own favorite series. And the happy ending to the Heron rescue still makes my heart glow. I connected with the hero fisherman a couple of months ago and sent him a couple of photos of the beautiful bird he saved. Grateful beyond words for his compassionate actions that day. Best, Babsje
Wouwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww w very special
Thank you very much for your great comment. I’m so glad you appreciated these birds !
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