Beautiful Great Blue Heron Balancing on the Fish Ladder

Great Blue Heron Balanced on Fish Ladder- babsjeheron

Life spreads itself across
the ceiling to make you think
you are penned in, but that
is just another gift. Life takes
what you thought you couldn’t live
without and gives you a heron instead.

On the Meaning of (excerpt)
Linda Back McKay

The Next Best Thing: Poems

My blog and I have been very quiet for many months due to serious illness that has prevented outings in nature.

This morning, though, I ventured to the nearby dam for the first time since last September, camera in hand. Less than five seconds after arriving, a beautiful heron swooped down to fish at the base of the waterfall. It was the same heron you see at the top of this post.

I was, and still am, thrilled to see her again.

Life has given me a heron, as the poem says. .
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Thanks to the Lens Artists Patti, Tina, Amy, and Leya for their unstinting devotion to elevating and celebrating photography.
From Patti Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 53: Your Choice.
From Tina Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 53: Your Choice.
From Amy Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 53: Your Choice.
From Leya Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 53: Your Choice.

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Thanks to Debbie for her Travel with Intent Challenge – One Word Sunday: Relax. Although I was relaxed while waiting for this Heron to pounce on her lunch from the pooling water below the fish ladder, she was anything but, poised there on one foot, straining her neck and head downward for a better view of any fish that had cascaded over the waterfall.

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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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During September and October, 2018, the Great Blue Herons were featured on the walls of the Natick Town Hall, located at 13 East Central Street in Natick, MA.
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From May 1 through July 11, 2018, my Great Blue Heron photographs once again graced 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. If you’re in the Boston or Metro West area, please stop by to see the current gallery show at TCAN. The gallery is open whenever the box office is open, so please check hours here.
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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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Remember: Walk softly and carry a long lens.™

The Tao of Feathers™

© 2019 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)

Great Blue Heron, TCAN, Five Crows, Natick

Beautiful Great Blue Heron’s Peace on Earth 2018 (Not Art Nbr 22)

Great Blue Heron Peace on Earth 2018 – babsjeheron

“…I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things…”

The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry, excerpt
from The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry

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Thanks to Tina for her Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 24: Seasonal. What is more seasonal than a holiday greeting card?.
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Thanks to Debbie for her Travel with Intent Challenge – One Word Sunday: Christmas Time. Even the Heron gets in the holiday spirit.
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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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During September and October, 2018, the Great Blue Herons were featured on the walls of the Natick Town Hall, located at 13 East Central Street in Natick, MA.
.

From May 1 through July 11, 2018, my Great Blue Heron photographs once again graced 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. If you’re in the Boston or Metro West area, please stop by to see the current gallery show at TCAN. The gallery is open whenever the box office is open, so please check hours here.
.
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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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.

Remember: Walk softly and carry a long lens.™

The Tao of Feathers™

© 2018 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)

Great Blue Heron, Kayaking, TCAN, Five Crows, Natick

Beautiful Great Blue Heron Sticks the Landing Nbr 2

Great Blue Heron Sticks the Landing Nbr 2 – babsjeheron

She’s gathered up all the time in the world
— nothing else — and waits for scanty trophies,
complete in herself as a heron.

Denise Levertov
The Great Black Heron [Excerpt]
Sands of the Well

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So, about the title of today’s post? If there were Avian Olympics, surely this Great Blue Heron would take Gold for sticking that landing… Ahem.
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There are rhythms to the lake, and the creatures there are no less creatures of habit than we humans.

The life cycle of the flora in the cove is predictable and, unless the Canada Geese and their goslings have stripped the plants, pickerel weed thrives for weeks each July through August. The vivid purple-blue flower spikes attract beautiful butterflies and bees and other insects.

And the Great Blue Herons.

Plural.

You may think the Heron in today’s photo is the same Heron shown here, but you would be mistaken.

The location in the cove is the same, but the photos were taken 10 days apart, and the Herons are different, they are are a mated pair. It is fascinating to watch the pair jockey for position on that half-submerged tree: the male lays territorial claim there, and chases the female away.

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This photo is a variation of two earlier themes of mine: Great Blue Herons with Pickerel Weed and Sticking the Landing and here, too.

Thanks to Cheri and WordPress for this week’s WPC Challenge: Sweet. I have spent hundreds and hundreds of hours over decades in that cove watching the Great Blues nibble on insects attracted by that sweet pickerel weed.

Thanks also to Ben H and WordPress for their recent WPC Challenge: Variations on a Theme.

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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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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.

.
.

Remember: Walk softly and carry a long lens.™

The Tao of Feathers™

© 2018 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)

Great Blue Heron, Kayaking, TCAN, Five Crows

Beautiful Great Blue Heron Sweetly Preens

Great Blue Heron Preening in the Cove – babsjeheron

… Sound in his ears more sweet than yours,
And if yours are not sweeter and wilder and better…

The Herons of Elmwood [Excerpt]
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Birds of Passage

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This photo is a variation of an earlier theme of mine: Great Blue Herons with Pickerel Weed. Click here and here if you don’t remember those photos. Which of the three do you prefer?

Thanks to Cheri and WordPress for this week’s WPC Challenge: Sweet. For two days in a row, I witnessed this beautiful Great Blue Heron at the far end of the cove. He preened, and slept, and preened and slept some more, for hours both days.

Thanks to Jen H and WordPress for the recent WPC Challenge: Beloved. This is one of the most beloved Herons at the lake.

Thanks also to Ben H and WordPress for their recent WPC Challenge: Variations on a Theme.

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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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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.
.
.

Remember: Walk softly and carry a long lens.™

The Tao of Feathers™

© 2018 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)

Great Blue Heron, Kayaking, TCAN, Five Crows

When is a Beautiful Great Blue Heron Most Like a Golden Retriever?

Great Blue Heron Shaking off Water – babsjeheron

Happiness is a warm puppy Great Blue Heron.

With apologies to Charles Schultz and Peanuts

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Just like a wet dog, a Heron sheds water by doing a whole-body shake. Today’s Heron is the same one shown running on the water. When she came to a stop at the water’s edge, she launched into a full-body shake that sent her wings shimmying, feathers ruffling and water spraying in all directions.

This photo is a variation on an earlier theme of mine: When is a Great Blue Heron Most Like a Dog? In that post, you can see multiple photos showing the range of motion used to dry off.

When dogs shake off water, the movement starts at their snout, and if you grab their muzzle, supposedly they can’t complete the shake. Do you suppose grabbing a Heron’s bill would have the same effect?

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Thanks to Jen H and WordPress for this week’s WPC Challenge: Beloved. The love I feel for this Great Blue Heron in particular is long-standing. She is the same Heron as featured here and even here.

Thanks also to Ben H and WordPress for their recent WPC Challenge: Variations on a Theme.

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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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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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Remember: Walk softly and carry a long lens.™

The Tao of Feathers™

© 2018 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)

Great Blue Heron, Kayaking, TCAN, Five Crows

Put a Beautiful Great Blue Heron on a Pedestal? Who, me? Take 2

Great Blue Heron on a Pedestal Nbr 2 – babsjeheron

… Suddenly I realize
That if I stepped out of my body I would break
Into flight.

With apologies to James Wright’s poem “A Blessing”
The Branch Will not Break

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In more than a dozen years kayaking that area of the lake, I saw a Great Blue Heron atop that tree pedestal only once – and that day, before I could raise the camera, a pod of kayakers approached from the north, flushing the Great Blue. It was very satisfying to finally stumble across her there a couple of months ago. I watched her 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.

This photo is a variation of an earlier image. Click here if you didn’t see that photo. Which do you prefer?

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Thanks to Jen H and WordPress for this week’s WPC Challenge: Beloved. The love I feel for the magnificent Great Blue Herons is no small secret.

Thanks also to Ben H and WordPress for their recent WPC Challenge: Variations on a Theme.

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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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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.

.
.

Remember: Walk softly and carry a long lens.™

The Tao of Feathers™

© 2018 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)

Great Blue Heron, Kayaking, TCAN, Five Crows

Beautiful Great Blue Heron’s Silhouette on Silent Sunday

Great blue heron underneath a bridge.

For he had come to quietness,
He had come to the place where sun and moon meet
And where the spaces of the heavens open their doors.
He was understanding and love and the silence.
He was the voice of these, as he fed the woodpecker.

The Sky-Goer [excerpt]
Zona Gale

The Le Gallienne Book of English and American Poetry, Richard Le Gallienne, ed.

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Thanks to Krista S and WordPress for the recent Daily Prompt: Silhouette.

Thanks also to Cheri and WordPress for the recent WPC: Silence.

Thanks to CosmicGirlie for hosting Silent Sunday. Yes, there are “words” in today’s post, which is against the “rules,” but I can’t credit the authors of the fine prompts mentioned above without using words. You know what they say about rules anyway… And I know the folks at WordPress put a lot of thought and effort into creating their daily and weekly prompts, so credit where credit is due.

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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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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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Remember: Walk softly and carry a long lens.™

The Tao of Feathers™

© 2018 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)

Great Blue Heron, Kayaking, TCAN, Five Crows

Beautiful Great Blue Heron Photos of the Year

And the winner selected by popular vote?
Great Blue Heron Fishing at Waterfall

Great Blue Heron Fishing at Waterfall – babsjeheron

Frequent readers here know that my photos are an eclectic mix: some have more merit as Art – capital A – than others, some are quirky captures just for fun. Some are personal anecdotes of encounters, and some the field notes of a naturalist. One thing they all have in common, though, is the birds are all wild creatures observed in nature along the waterways of Eastern Massachusetts.

As 2017 was winding to a close, Ben H and WordPress asked about our favorite photos posted in 2017. As an artist, I’m always curious about what you, the readers, appreciate, and so I posted a poll on New Year’s Eve for your feedback. You can click here to see the photos included or even vote. (It’s not too late to participate)

The photo at the top of today’s post had the greatest percentage of votes, and as you can see from the results below, second place had a three-way tie, and there was a five-way tie for third.

Thankfully there were no calls for a recount of any votes and voting wasn’t plagued by any hanging chads.

Great Blue Heron 2017 Poll Results – babsjeheron

A big THANK YOU to all who voted.

(And if you didn’t vote yet, now’s your chance.)

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Thanks to Ben H and WordPress for the recent WPC challenge: 2017 Favorites. Ben asked us to share our favorite photos posted in 2017. Please click here to see the photos I selected from this blog.

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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 for my third 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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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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.

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

Beautiful Great Blue Heron Running on the Water

Great Blue Heron Running on Water – babsjeheron

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Thanks once more to Stewart Moncton for the Wild Bird Wednesday prompt.

Thanks also to Wordless Wednesday for the Wordless Wednesday challenge.

Thanks to Krista and WordPress for the 2017 WPC: Pedestrian. Some pedestrians walk, some pedestrians run.
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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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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.
.
.

Remember: Walk softly and carry a long lens.™

The Tao of Feathers™

© 2018 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)

Great Blue Heron, Kayaking, TCAN, Five Crows

Beautiful Great Blue Heron’s Fun in the Sun (Not Art Nbr 16)

Great Blue Heron on Float – babsjeheron

Come on in, the water’s fine!

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Thanks to Krista and WordPress for today’s Daily Prompt: Winsome. Is this guy winsome or what, commandeering that float before the humans are awake?

But maybe, instead, I should thank Michelle W and WordPress for the recent WPC: Cheeky. Maybe that guy is more cheeky than winsome, basking in the sun on that float before the humans are awake? (Whichever is more apt, thinking about fun in the sun with a Great Blue Heron is a warming notion on this sub-zero day.)

And thanks also to Debbie at Travel With Intent for Six Word Saturday.
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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.
.
.

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.

.
.

Remember: Walk softly and carry a long lens.™

The Tao of Feathers™

© 2018 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)

Great Blue Heron, Kayaking, TCAN, Five Crows