OOPS! Beautiful Great Blue Heron Misses the Landing (Not Art Nbr 30)

Great Blue Heron misses the landing and does a faceplant in a pine tree – babsjeheron

A simple miscalculation, and the Great Blue Heron landed with his head thrust beneath the green, beak agape, eyes wide with protective membrane in place.

I would love to have the talent to fly and soar and wheel on the winds like the birds, but, lacking feathers, enough about me.

He launched from the limb that overhung the water in a sudden burst of energy, one wing stroke followed by more in rapid succession.

His wings pulled outward, forward, fully extended, then back in another burst bringing him to the tip of the pine bough.

His birdness revealed itself as feet reached forward to grasp the branch, all the while wings fluttered to help him hover into position. To and fro they rapidly fanned the air as he eased into position.

The green needled bough sunk under the force of his landing, and for a moment he teetered there, on the edge of his feathers aching for balance.

And suddenly he disappeared!

No, wait, there he is… face down on the soft pine.

Great Blue Heron does a faceplant when trying to land in a pine tree – babsjeheron

A simple miscalculation, and he landed with his head thrust beneath the green, beak agape, eyes wide with protective membrane in place.

Suspense and anxiety were palpable, as I watched his hovering-balancing. His wings at first stretched out flat on the surface, then retracted back and up, and within seconds he was upright and preening once again.

I have never before seen a Heron look so utterly birdlike, and so vulnerable, as in those few seconds. One look, and you could see what binds Herons with both Hummingbird and Hawk.

And you could see that sometimes even beautiful Herons can benefit from practice…and being mindful.

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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 Ann-Christine is “One Image One Story.”

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Thanks to Cee for her Hunt for joy. I don’t know if this challenge is still on, but I really like the idea of searching for joy. This Heron has brought great joy.
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From Tina Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 176: One Image, One Story .
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From Patti Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 176: One Image, One Story .
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From Amy Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 176: One Image, One Story .

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From Leya Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 176: One Image, One Story.
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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 a half and they need your love more than ever.
.

Natick Center Cultural District

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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.

TCAN – The Center for Arts Natick
.
Natick Town Hall
.
Five Crows Gallery in Natick
.
Audubon Sanctuary
.

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

Epic Great Blue Heron Rescue Redux

Great Blue Heron lands a large fish – babsjeheron

If i could talk to the animals – just imagine it,
speaking with a Chimp in chimpanzee!
Imagine talking to a Tiger, or chatting with a Cheetah –
what a neat achievement that would be!

If i could talk to the animals, learn their languages –
maybe take an animal degree…
I’d study Elephant and Eagle, Buffalo and Beagle,
Alligator, Guinea Pig and Flea!

[first bridge] I would converse in Polar Bear and Python,
and I would curse in fluent Kangaroo.
If people asked me, “can you speak Rhinoceros?”
I’d say, “of course-eros!

Can’t you?”

If I Could Talk To The Animals by Leslie Bricusse
Doctor Doolittle

Raise your hand if you talk to the animals.

Now raise your other hand if the animals talk to you.

You over there – put your other hand up, too. You and you, too.

Animals communicate with humans in many ways, some oral and others non-verbal.

Who doesn’t know what a dog’s growl portends? Or the sweet purring of a tabby cat? Frequent readers of this blog may recall my stories of Great Blue Herons’ greetings: arrrh and goooh, and their guttural frawhnk of alarm.

And as for the non-verbal, animal body language can be very telling. What is a cat saying with ears flattened back and tail swishing from side to side? Or a dog wagging its tail so enthusiastically that its entire rump is wagging, too? Readers of earlier posts here may recall learning that a Heron standing in a ramrod-straight posture, with neck fully extended and head held high, is a Heron on high alert.

Today’s post is the true story of an heroic Great Blue Heron rescue capped off by the Heron communicating with her rescuer, saying “thank you” in an unmistakable way.

When I posted about the rescue earlier this year, Wayne of Tofino Photography suggested that I send the hero a photo of the beautiful rescued Great Blue Heron.

That was easier said than done – I had met him only once years ago in a taxi and didn’t know his name or how to reach him. All I knew was that he was an avid Bass-fishing aficionado, a retired police officer, and part time taxi driver in town.

This was shaping up to be a needle in a haystack quest.

I took a chance and reached out to the owner of the taxi company. A few weeks went by before she called me back, curious about the story. I explained about the heroic rescue and that I wanted to thank him. A couple more weeks went by before I heard back – she found him by going back more than ten years in the records. She said she spoke with him and he remembered that day very clearly.

Fast forward many more weeks until this past Sunday morning, when my phone rang. It was a call from the fisherman hero. His name is Dennis.

We had a lovely, warm chat. It warmed my heart to hear Dennis retell his experience: the day after the Heron rescue, he went fishing again in the same cove and discovered that the Heron was gone, she wasn’t on the shore where he had placed her the day before.

And then a Great Blue Heron flew low and slow right across his bow, nearly touching his shoulder. Dennis told me he was convinced it was the Heron’s way of acknowledging him, thanking him. And I agree.

Hearing Dennis tell his story again brought tears to my eyes.

I want to again thank Dennis for rescuing my favorite Heron from certain death. How many other boaters on the water would bother with an entangled bird I wonder?

I want to thank the excellent wildlife photographer and videographer Wayne for encouraging me to find and thank fisherman hero Dennis. Please visit Tofino Photography to see outstanding photos of Eagles, Bears, Orcas and more.

And I want to thank Joanne of Tommy’s Taxi for caring enough about the story I had told to dig through ten years of records to find, and connect me with, Dennis, the hero of the tale below. How many busy company owners would take the time to do that kind of research?
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Young Osprey perched amid pinecones – babsjeheron

When the fire alarm sounds grew ominously closer, I was photographing an immature Osprey nestled high up amongst the pinecone clusters just down the channel and around the bend from the boathouse. 

Quickly, I stashed the camera below deck and paddled rapidly back to the dock. Judging from the black billowing smoke, it seemed possible that the boathouse was the scene of the fire, and I was concerned for the dockhands there. 

I arrived at the dock and discovered a van engulfed in flames just at the moment the driver escaped through the back door. The sirens from the fire trucks were getting louder as they grew closer, but the firemen weren’t yet on the scene. 
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Van fully engulfed in flames on the road next to the boathouse – babsjeheron

A speeding motorboat swerved in alongside me and the driver launched himself over the bow and hit the water running like a military commando, dashing toward the vehicle, taking charge of the scene. It was a striking action scene like something from a film.

The firemen soon arrived and doused the flames in the van and the utility pole, and Alex and Jason had the boathouse under control – the electrical system was toast due to the burned utility lines, but no fire damage otherwise.

It was the last day of the season for the boathouse that year, and so I slipped back down the channel for a final circuit of the lake, a final good bye to the Great Blue Herons for the season – always a poignant afternoon for me.
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Fast forward nearly a year. New England was experiencing one of its blistering July heat waves, so hot I took a taxi to the lake rather than walking there with all my gear. 

The cab driver and I got to talking as people are sometimes wont to do in taxis, and he started to tell me about his bass fishing tournaments and then about the time he was at the lake and there was a fire.

Great Blue Heron fishing near the reeds and pickerel weed – babsjeheron

I took a closer look at his cab photo then and realized that he was the speedboat commando who had pulled alongside me the day of the fire. Just to be sure, I asked him to describe his boat, and it was the exact boat I had seen that October day, and he confirmed that he had indeed dashed out of the boat to assist in the rescue. As it turns out, he was a retired police officer, so that sort of action in the face of a fire was ingrained by his training and experience.

We marveled a bit at the coincidence of having witnessed the fire together that day, and I mentioned that I had spent the rest of my time there that day photographing and saying goodbye to the Herons for the year.

And what the taxi driver Dennis told me next made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

After I had gone in for the day, and after he was done assisting with the fire, he went back out fishing on the lake, and headed into the small cove between the two tunnels. There are a couple of semi-submerged pines laying on the surface, where there is often good fishing.

Great Blue Heron shaking a Seagull feather. She is standing on the same partly-submerged pine log where she had been tangled in fishing line – babsjeheron

That day, however, he came across a Great Blue Heron caught in fishing line on one of the pine logs. The line was caught in the Heron’s wing and foot, and the Heron was struggling and obviously very weakened by the time he got there.

Dennis idled his boat, and pulled up as near to the Heron on the pine as possible, and got out of the boat. He cut the tangled line, freeing the Heron, but the Heron was too weak to take off, it was too weak to even lift its head.

He then picked up the Heron, and took it to the shore. He laid it down on the ground and cradled it, placing its head and neck in a good position so it could breathe easier.

Dennis stayed with the Heron as long as he could, but had to leave before the boat ramp access closed for the day.

The next day, he went back to check on the Heron.

It was gone, not on the ground where he had placed it.

He went about his fishing for a while.

Great Blue Heron preening two years after her rescue – babsjeheron

At one point – I don’t remember how long he had been out by then – a Great Blue Heron flew low and slow right across his bow, nearly touching his shoulder.

They don’t do that, you know.

Dennis was convinced it was the Heron’s way of acknowledging him, thanking him.

And I agree.
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In the taxi the following July as Dennis told me his tale, he showed me the photos he had taken with his cell phone of the Heron, while she was entangled on the pine log and then on the shore.

If I had them, I’d share them here. Since I don’t, I’ve posted four of my own photos here of the same Great Blue Heron he saved that day.

What a magnificent creature she is.

And what a hero Dennis is.

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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 guest host Lindy is “Follow Your Bliss.” Frequent readers here should have little doubt that the Great Blue Herons bring me bliss

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Thanks to Cee for her Hunt for joy. I don’t know if this challenge is still on, but I really like the idea of searching for joy. This Heron has brought great joy.
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From guest host Lindy Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 175: Follow Your Bliss .
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From Tina Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 175: Follow Your Bliss .
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From Patti Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 175: Follow Your Bliss .
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From Amy Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 175: Follow Your Bliss .

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From Leya Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 175: Follow Your Bliss.
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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 a half and they need your love more than ever.
.

Natick Center Cultural District

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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.

TCAN – The Center for Arts Natick
.
Natick Town Hall
.
Five Crows Gallery in Natick
.
Audubon Sanctuary
.

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

Beautiful Great Blue Heron Fledgling Surprise!

Great Blue Heron fledgling cruising across the lake with ripples reflecting on underwings – babsjeheron

I awoke today and found
the frost perched on the town
It hovered in a frozen sky
then it gobbled summer down
When the sun turns traitor cold
and all the trees are shivering in a naked row

I get the urge for going…

Joni Mitchell
Urge for Going

It was November, and for the first time since early summer, I took the red kayak out for a paddle in the backyard lake.

It was exciting to catch a glimpse of a Great Blue Heron in flight from the corner of my eye. He veered towards the small island in the cove at the eastern end, landed, and then slipped quickly into the brush and marshy reeds, just out of sight.

Slowly, surreptitiously, I paddled along the opposite shoreline on an eastward course, parallel to the shore of the small island, opposite the side where he had taken cover.

The paddling was tricky, the small wind-driven waves a challenge for the flat-bottomed whitewater kayak.

Slowly, I eased into position in a natural-cover hide, stern backed against a stand of reeds for stability, and craned my neck to get into position, binocs raised.

I wanted to see which of the two Herons from last summer it was – one had long graceful breeding plumes dangling from the back of it’s cap, the other did not – but the sticks and shrubs perfectly camouflaged the Heron lurking in the brush.

At last, slowly, the Heron crept forward into a stand of reeds at the tip of the island.

I could just barely see a glint of the white and yellow patch on its face, just above the bill, but the neck and body were obscured.

I held my breath and watched and waited, binocs trained on the reeds, trying so hard to keep the kayak motionless, looking for any telltale riffling motion or parting of the reeds that would give a better view of the Heron.

And then the Heron emerged and stood motionless.

His watchfulness was palpable.

Cautiously, he stepped closer to the water’s edge, and I trained the binocs on his neck for the telltale plumes, and then it dawned on me.

This was neither of the previous summer’s Herons.

Great Blue Heron fledgling in autumn – babsjejeron

It was a new Great Blue Heron.

An immature, clearly a fledgling born just a few months earlier.

I took it all in through the binocs, elation blooming by the second: the dark blueblack feather cap, the dark bill, the ruddy feathers…

We stayed together for about half an hour, the Heron feeding and preening and feeding again, and ruffling and shaking the water from its feathers from head to toe just like a wet dog shakes it off.

Then I turned the kayak back towards home so the Heron could feed in peace as long as it could, with the cold weather coming. What a lovely paddle it was.

No immature Herons at all were sighted at the big lake that year.

How very wonderful to know the brood succeeded here at home.

Wordless joy to behold.

Because it was already November, the Great Blue Herons soon would have an urge for going. A few days later, the eastern end of the small lake was still, and bathed in golden autumn light. The trees were already bare, and the reeds and grasses shone bronzed by the sun. It was dead calm on the water, not a whisper of a breeze and the water’s surface was mirror-smooth.

Mirror-smooth, until the fledgling took flight.

The vibration of the heron’s feet moving in the water created a pattern of ripples breaking the calm. The angle of the light played subtly upon the ripples, bouncing back upwards underneath the Heron. If you look closely at the underside of the back wing in the top photo here, you can see the light-colored, horizontal stripes softly patterning the feathers with subtle stripes.

I like when that happens, when ripples or waves reflect on Great Blue Heron feathers.

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This post is prompted by Cee Neuner, Dawn Miller, Marsha Ingrao, and the creative and inspiring Lens Artists Tina, Amy, Patti, and Leya, all of whom 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 “Shapes and Designs.” The public art in town features many custom mosaic installations created by the amazing mosaic artist Carol Krentzman

Natick Mosaic Art created by Carol Krentzman – babsjeheron

The mosaic at left is called “We the People.” The tile work shown in the mosaics here features a variety of intricate hand crafted shapes and designs. Arching over the mosaic are the words: “We the People Have a Dream of Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness with Kindness Equality Respect Tolerance Education Freedom and Justice for All”.

The mosaic at center in the above photo – “History of Natick Mural” – is 12 feet high and 64 inches wide. It is estimated to include 6,000 tiles.

The mosaic at right called “Smiling Faces” was created by Carol Krentzman with Amy R Steinmetz’ designs and stands 12’H x 54″W.

Another example of Public Art mosaic works are these charming vignettes of children by Carol Krentzman, titled “As Trees Give Life to Their Branches” Community Mosaic Project, Six Outdoor Arched Panels

Natick Mosaic Art Nbr 2 Created by Carol Krentzman – babsjeheron

Please CLICK HERE and visit Carol Krentzman’s website to learn more about her fascinating art. .
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Thanks to Cee and Marsha for their jointly hosted PPAC from Marsha: Photographing Public Art Challenge. And here’s PPAC from Cee: Photographing Public Art Challenge.
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Thanks to Dawn for her Festival of Leaves . The grasses and reeds along the shore have turned golden brown like straw.
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From Tina Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 174: Shapes and Designs .
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From Patti Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 174: Shapes and Designs .
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From Amy Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 174: Shapes and Designs .

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From Leya Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 174: Shapes and Designs.
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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 a half and they need your love more than ever.
.

Natick Center Cultural District

.

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!

.
.

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.

TCAN – The Center for Arts Natick
.
Natick Town Hall
.
Five Crows Gallery in Natick
.
Audubon Sanctuary
.

Be a fly on the wall! Please CLICK HERE to see the Great Blue Herons gracing the gallery walls.
.

.

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

Great Egret for Not-So-Wordless Wednesday

Egret lunging from the shore to catch a fish – babsjeheron

The fisherman and the Egret stared at each other. Clearly, the fisherman was the more surprised of the two.

He didn’t miss a beat, though, following through on the cast he had just played out with a flick of his wrist.

Soundlessly, he reeled in a small fish, and as though guided by instinct, he unhooked it and tossed it back…

Back Into the waters directly in front of the Egret, who lunged after it in an explosion of white, wings-akimbo, feathers flying.

Egret flips fish inside her bill – babsjeheron.

Nature presents us with scenes of exquisite beauty.

When it comes to wildlife photography, so many of those experiences are never caught with a camera. Wildlife is shy and fast and elusive and unpredictable. Weather conditions don’t always cooperate. Digital film cards fill up at inopportune moments. Lens caps left on the camera inadvertently cause missed shots. Sunlight can be too bright or too dim. Insensitive gawkers scare off the wild creatures. I could go on and on.

On this day, however, the universe conspired with the Egret and fisherman and served up a tasty morsel for the Egret, and an unexpected photo opportunity for me there along the shoreline.

Egret submerges her head to land a fish – babsjeheron

It was thrilling to watch these two interacting, fishing man and fishing bird. How I wanted to be fishing with them, fish fishing instead of camera fishing. How I wanted a fish, myself, to toss to the Egret like the fisherman, who was practicing catch and release. How I wanted to know the feeling of the bird coming to me for a fish, the way Border Collie Rogue gambols up for a Milk Bone at the boathouse.

Just once.

But that would be wrong.

Which brings me back around to catch and release fishing. I’m sure that for as long as man has been trying to catch fish throughout the millennia, opportunistic birds have been trying to get man’s leftovers. Is there ever a fishing trawler that pulls into port without a flock of birds trailing along after it’s stern? How about the gulls circling and lurking above the sea walls up and down our coasts where anglers try their luck? It’s not the fishermen’s fault – the birds are very smart.

Egret fishing intently – babsjeheron.

There is a socialization between man and wild bird that has been taking place for eons, whether we’re aware of it or not, whether we like it or not. Speaking for myself, I am a little disheartened when I hear photographers talk about how tame the birds are in such-and-such a place and encourage others to come on down to see the tame birds up close.

There in the cove that day, I felt torn. While the photographer that I am was thrilled by the photo op served up, I felt concerned to see this magnificent Egret so very tame. It wasn’t the fisherman’s fault – I’m sure that Egret has been panhandling fish for a long time. The Egret has been lucky so far, but the risk of being snagged by a wayward fishhook from a poorly-cast line is real. The risk of being entangled in fishing line is very real, as I blogged in the story of a Great Blue Heron ensnared by fishing line: Happy Ending to Beautiful Great Blue Heron Rescue .

And so I love this gorgeous, graceful Egret as an artist loves all of her models, but I can’t help thinking: wild birds needs to be just that to survive safely.

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This post is prompted by Cee Neuner, and the creative and inspiring Lens Artists Tina, Amy, Patti, and Leya, all of whom 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 Tina is “Interesting Architecture.” One of the boathouses has interesting architecture. During the late 19th century, canoeing was very popular in the area. The boathouse building shown was previously a police station and jail! Amazing architecture for a 19th century jail.

Charles River Boathouse – babsjeheron

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Thanks to Cee for her Hunt for joy. I don’t know if this challenge is still on, but I really like the idea of searching for joy. The Herons and Egrets bring joy.
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From Tina Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 173: Interesting Architecture .
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From Patti Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 173: Interesting Architecture .
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From Amy Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 173: Interesting Architecture .

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From Leya Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 173: Interesting Architecture.
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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 a half and they need your love more than ever.
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Natick Artists Sidewalk Chalk

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Please join Natick Artists on November 13 on Zoom from 2-5 pm ET for a Virtual Exhibition & Sale. The Natick Artists deferred their scheduled Open Studios until Spring 2022 due to COVID, but didn’t want to wait to see you again. They’re all looking forward to sharing artwork with you in this safe virtual environment. Zoom link: November 13 2-5pm ET
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85739018397?pwd=MDlGbXpPMitTZklERE1oR1ozMmRmZz09

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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.

TCAN – The Center for Arts Natick
.
Natick Town Hall
.
Five Crows Gallery in Natick
.
Audubon Sanctuary
.

Be a fly on the wall! Please CLICK HERE to see the Great Blue Herons gracing the gallery walls.
.

.

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

Beautiful Great Blue Heron Uses Tools, Picks up Litter, What a Day

Great Blue Heron Fishes with Feather Nbr 8 – babsjeheron

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Great Blue Heron Fishes with Feather Nbr 5 – babsjeheron

When last we saw the smart Great Blue Heron using a tool, it was the Gull feather you see here and above.
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A short eight minutes after she abandoned the Gull feather as a fishing lure, she decided to try out a different form of bait…
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She marched a bit further down the half-submerged pine and plucked a twig from the tangle of sticks along the log.
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Great Blue Heron Using Stick as Tool Nbr1 – babsjeheron

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She wiggled the slender twig around beneath the surface of the water…
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And around again….

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Great Blue Heron Using Stick as Tool Nbr2 – babsjeheron

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Probing with her twig to stir any fishes below…
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…Her movements were subtle…
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Great Blue Heron Using Stick as Tool Nbr3 – babsjeheron

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…Almost mimicking the way a Heron stands in stillness and gently prods the water with a foot…
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Transfixed, I watched her repeat this for more than ten minutes.
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Great Blue Heron Using Stick as Tool Nbr4 – babsjeheron

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This was not the first time I had witnessed a Great Blue Heron using a tool.
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You can read the story of another Great Blue Heron fishing with a stick CLICK HERE.
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Great Blue Heron Finished Using Stick as Tool – babsjeheron

You can read the story of this same Great Blue Heron fishing with a feather CLICK HERE.
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That day, I took more than 925 photographs at the lake.
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That day began in the long slender cove, where this same Great Blue Heron was plying the shore.
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Great Blue Heron holding a huge plastic bag she pulled from the muck along the shore – babsjeheron

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Her fishing technique that day was unlike anything I’d witnessed before: she poked and prodded the muck along the south end of the cove for at least half an hour.
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Her trophy? This huge plastic bag. At one time, it contained something large, larger than a king-sized pillow to be sure.
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Young Great Blue Heron male on amorous approach – babsjeheron

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On this day the young male Heron had been intently watching the female from yards away down the cove, while the female poked the mud with her long beak, tugging persistently at something.
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Great Blue Herons with Litter – babsjeheron

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Just as the young male made his move, strutting up the cove towards the female in his courtship posture, her beak lurched free from the mud, with a huge plastic bag stuck on her lower bill.
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Great Blue Carrying Huge Plastic Bag – babsjeheron

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I’m not sure if he was more interested in pursuing her as a mate or in wresting the huge plastic bag from her.
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Whichever was his intention, she was having none of it. She pivoted on her heels and flew westward out of the cove with the bag trailing from her beak, leaving the young male behind.

Young Great Blue Heron male looks on dejectedly after the female fled – babsjeheron

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I wish I could say that the female was carrying the bag voluntarily, but I cannot: the plastic was hooked securely on her lower bill.

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I quickly paddled out of the cove, hoping to follow her and ensure that she freed herself from the bag. Under the shade of tall pines, she shook and shook her head from side-to-side the way a dog shakes a rag.
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Great Blue Heron’s Trash Bag – babsjeheron

To no avail.

More than three weeks later, I found the plastic trash bag floating and retrieved it. Here it is on the ground next to my old kayak for scale. The boat is 15 feet long. As you can see, that plastic bag was nearly half the length of the boat.

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This post is prompted by Cee, Jez, Becky, and the creative and inspiring Lens Artists Tina, Amy, Patti, and Leya, all of whom encourage the community of photographers and writers.

The focus for this week’s Lens Artist challenge hosted by Amy is “A Day of My Week.” All three of the little stories in my post today took place on the same day, with the same Great Blue Heron. On that July 25, I took more than 925 Heron photos from my kayak on the lake.

• The day started with the female Heron pulling a ginormous plastic bag from the mud near the shore and her encounter with the amorous young male.
• As if that wasn’t exciting enough to watch, the female Great Blue then picked up a Gull’s feather and used it as a fishing lure – it was amazing to see a bird use the feather of another bird as a tool.
• And then, the same Heron picked up a slender twig and used that in her attempts to lure fishes to the surface.

I would have been thrilled to experience any one of the three incidents I witnessed that day – but to experience all three of them in a single day? Mindboggling.

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Thanks to Cee for her Hunt for joy. I don’t know if this challenge is still on, but I really like the idea of searching for joy. The Herons bring joy.
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Thanks to Jez for the Water Water Everywhere Challenge. Quite a bit of water today.
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Thanks to Becky for her Past Squares challenge. I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz lately about Becky’s Squares challenge, and haven’t joined the fun before…So I have no ‘past’ squares to contribute but I hope the squares in today’s post are enough for starters.

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From Patti Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 172: A Day of My Week .
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From Tina Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 172: A Day of My Week .
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From Amy Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 172: A Day of My Week .

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From Leya Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 172: A Day of My Week .
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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 a half and they need your love more than ever.
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Natick Center Cultural District

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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!

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.

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

Beautiful Great Blue Heron’s Guest…Humans?

Great Blue Heron Launching into Flight – babsjeheron

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I’ve said it many times before:
No two days at the lake are the same.

While out photographing Great Blue Herons, Swans and Cygnets on the lake that day, I heard many sirens. An alarming number of sirens blaring from the north – sirens that just would not stop. Concerned that something had happened at the boat house, I paddled my kayak from the far end of South Lake back up to the boat ramp as quickly as I could cover the four miles.
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Fire Department Divers About to Enter and Secure Sunken Van at Lake – babsjeheron

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A white van hauling a boat trailer and a young child inside had backed so far into the lake that it became nearly completely submerged. It seems like a vehicle with a trailer backs too far into the water at least once a year at the boat ramp, but this was the first time I’d witnessed the vehicle completely submerged.
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Sunken Van Being Winched out of the Lake- babsjeheron

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Both Fire Engine 3 and Engine 5 from our town responded to the emergency. Personnel from the Massachusetts Environmental Police and our town Police were on site to assist, and the Dive Team and Assistant Fire Chief responded as well. The sunken van was capably pulled from the water by a powerful tow truck, and hauled away on a flatbed trailer.
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Fire Department Dive Team Calls it a Day – babsjeheron

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As I watched the rescue unfold from my kayak still only a few yards away in the water, I was impressed to see the full body rescue suits the firemen wore – as a boater, it is reassuring to know that the lake has such sophisticated water rescue gear.
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One Fire Truck is a Boat! – babsjeheron

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Same lake, one year previously. There were no Great Blue Heron sightings that day, and apparently not enough humans, as well – at least not inside the captainless inflatable boat shown below.

Everybody, listen to me, and return me, my ship
I’m your captain, I’m your captain…

Mark Farner, Grand Funk Railroad

Inflatable Boat with Nobody on Board – babsjeheron

I had been searching for Herons that lovely morning but struck out in both North and upper Middle Lakes, and had decided to try for South Lake. Exiting the tunnel under the Turnpike and paddling through the channel towards the boat house, a shiny red inflatable boat was carving turns in the water ahead at an alarming speed.

As I got closer, I realized there was nobody on board. The captain had gone overboard, bounced out of his shiny new boat on her maiden voyage. I called the dockhands at the boat house, and they sent out their rescue rowboat and pulled the hapless owner from the water.

Fire Department Rescue Boat Ready to Put In – babsjeheron

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What happened that day on the lake could have been tragic. The captain had bounced out of his boat without having his kill-switch tether attached. When activated, the kill-switch shuts off the motor and stops the boat. A runaway boat like the red inflatable that day is a true emergency – people have been maimed and some have perished when struck by propellers in similar situations – and so the town Fire Department responded in force.

Fire Fighters Ready to Joust with the runaway inflatable boat – babsjeheron

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The captain-less boat circled endlessly, out of control as the rescue boat with the firefighters approached. They were prepared with grappling hooks, to snag the lines on the inflatable, or push it onto the shore.

Driverless Out of Control Inflatable Circles Around Firefighters – babsjeheron

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It was dangerous because other boaters were in the vicinity even while the inflatable boat circled around the firefighters. I wondered how much fuel was left in the outboard motor. Would the boat keep running in circles until the gas was gone?

Out of Control Driverless Inflatable Still Circling Around Firefighters – babsjeheron

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At last, the fire fighters’ efforts had aimed the runaway boat’s course towards the rocks, and it ran aground.

Inflatable Boat Aground on the Rocks – babsjeheron

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Success!

Firefighters Snare Driverless Boat at Last – babsjeheron

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Fortunately, no one was injured in this incident, but not all similar incidents have had happy endings.

Click here to learn more from the US Coast Guard Boating Safety Resource Center.

Firefighters Tow Rescued Boat Back to the Boat Ramp – babsjeheron

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I love happy endings.

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This post is prompted by Cee Neuner, Jez Braithwaite and the creative and inspiring Lens Artists Tina, Amy, Patti, and Leya, all of whom encourage the community of photographers and writers.

This week’s Lens Artist challenge comes from Ann-Christine. The topic is Weird and Wonderful. Do you think a runaway driverless boat is a weird thing to see? What about red-togged divers in the water with a submerged van? They were both weird things to see, and yet both had wonderful endings – the only thing hurt was the boater’s and van driver’s Pride.
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Please click the links below to see the beautiful offerings from these wonderful photographers.
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Thanks to Cee for her CBWC: Fire Prevention. Our Fire Department does more than just prevent fires, they are instrumental in water rescues, too.
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Thanks to Jez for the Water Water Everywhere Challenge. Much water in this post.
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From Leya Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 171: Weird and Wonderful .
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From Patti Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 171: Weird and Wonderful .
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From Tina Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 171: Weird and Wonderful .
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From Amy Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 171: Weird and Wonderful .

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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 a half and they need your love more than ever.
.

Natick Center Cultural District

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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!

.
.

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.

TCAN – The Center for Arts Natick
.
Natick Town Hall
.
Five Crows Gallery in Natick
,
Audubon Sanctuary
.

Be a fly on the wall! Please CLICK HERE to see the Great Blue Herons gracing the gallery walls.
.

.

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, Boating

Great Blue Heron’s Guest…Swimming Deer?

White Tail Deer Swimming – babsjeheron

The subtle shift in the tilt of the Great Blue Heron’s head alerted me to an unseen presence.

Great Blue Heron peering across the cove – babsjeheron

The Great Blue Heron perched, stationary and gazing off to the east under half-closed eyes, and I sensed that she was going to go to sleep standing there.
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It was mid-morning, her early fishing and feeding done. The log next to the blooming pickerel weed made a quiet resting place.
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She was unmoving, serene, a study in tranquility, and those qualities were once again contagious – I felt the peacefulness of the space we share, as I always do in the presence of Herons.
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Looking through leaves of my natural cover hide/blind – babsjeheron

Half an hour elapsed when a shift in the tilt of her head signaled that she was alert and watching something on the opposite shore. Lulled into a sense of complacency, I thought that it was probably just the Irish Setter I had noticed ambling along when I paddled into the cove that morning.
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The Heron stiffened upright suddenly, as though coiled for action. Something, intuition perhaps, told me it wasn’t an Irish Setter at all. Maybe the Fox I’d photographed there a few years earlier was back!

Deer along the banks of the cove, directly across from the Great Blue Heron – babsjeheron

Holding my breath, I stared through the lens directly into the eyes of – not an Irish Setter nor a Fox – a large, mature Deer, a first-ever Deer sighting in the cove.

For forty-five minutes, the three of us shared the lower cove. The Deer watched the Heron during breaks in munching tender leafy bushes, but didn’t seem aware of me. The Heron also didn’t pay any attention to me, but watched the Deer intently, at one point flying about ten feet for a closer look.
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And me? I watched both Deer and Heron with my heart on my sleeve.

Time stood still as I put the camera down and peered through my higher-magnification binoculars. I soaked in those enormous soulful eyes, the tickly-looking whiskers, and the adorable ears that seemed to swivel with their own sense of direction, the better to hear us with as the children’s fable says.
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The encounter ended as all such wildlife-human encounters should end, utterly without drama: nobody spooked or flushed anybody.

The Deer finished munching greens, turned and sauntered softly back into the woods.

The Great Blue Heron stared after the Deer for a long while, and then once again took up her perch on the log.

And I, still wordless from the wonder of what had just unfolded, paddled on to the next lake, smiling all the way.

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Fast forward ten months

Silent as a whisper, the Deer
Poem by Babsje

What of last summer’s Doe
Who watched from the shore
The Heron preening,
Ears attuned for movement,
Then ambled off into the ferns?

That was long ago –
Before that bad winter
Took so much.

Today
She bowed to nibble
Columbine and hosta
On the far shore.

And swam home.

In less than a minute
Water sluiced from her shoulders
Her heavy udders,
Then she was gone
Silent as a whisper

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A glimpse through trees – could it be the White-tailed Deer? – babsjeheron

White Tail Deer Entering the Water Alongside the Dock – babsjeheron

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White Tail Deer Swimming – babsjeheron

White Tail Deer Approaching the Shore – babsjeheron

White Tail Deer Climbing out of Water – babsjeheron

.White Tail Deer Vanishing into the Woods – babsjeheron

Fast forward four more months.

White Tail Deer Doe with Fawn – babsjeheron

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Between the first Deer encounter and the second one ten months later, the Polar Vortex had brought devastating, vicious cold.

Seeing a Deer swimming after the killing colds of winter was thrilling.

Viewing the photos on download was heartwarming: the Deer was the same one I had seen one day that previous summer. She had survived that harsh winter, and she had apparently given birth in the interim.

Four months later, the last photo of that Doe with her Fawn, brings great joy.

Great joy.

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This post is prompted by Cee Neuner and Debbie Smyth and the creative and inspiring Lens Artists Tina, Amy, Patti, and Leya, all of whom encourage the community of photographers and writers. The focus for this week’s LAPC is Going Wide. Here’s the wide shot of the swimming Deer:

White-Tail Deer swimming, the long view – babsjeheron

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Thanks to Cee for her CFFC: Greatest Love of All. The Fawn is the future of the Deer.
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.Thanks to Debbie for her Six Word Saturday . This post title has the requisite six words!

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From Patti Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 165: Going Wide .
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From Tina Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 165: Going Wide .
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From Amy Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 165: Going Wide .

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From Leya Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 165: Going Wide .
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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.

TCAN – The Center for Arts Natick
.
Natick Town Hall
.
Five Crows Gallery in Natick
,
Audubon Sanctuary
.

Be a fly on the wall! You can CLICK HERE to see the gallery walls with Herons .
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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, White Tailed Deer

Beautiful Great Blue Heron and One Special Feather

Great Blue Heron Fishes with Feather – babsjeheron

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Great Blue Heron shaking a seagull feather – babsjeheron

Doesn’t this Great Blue Heron holding a seagull feather bring to mind a friendly dog playfully carrying his favorite toy back to you, wagging his tail?
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At the time, I wanted to say to her, “Who’s a good girl? You are! You are a good girl!” because the way she pranced the length of the submerged log seemed so playful – at first.
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At first, it looked playful, but then I realized the seagull feather was not a mere toy to this Great Blue Heron – it was a tool, a fishing lure she repeatedly dipped into the water to entice fishes up to the surface, making it easier for her to spear them with her stiletto beak.
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Great Blue Heron Fishes with Feather Nbr 2 – babsjeheron

For some birds, it is dinnertime more often than not.
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Searching for their next meal, or that of their offspring, is a full-time job.
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A few Great Blue Herons at the lake have adapted tools to make fishing much easier, and dinner more of a sure thing.

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Great Blue Heron Fishes with Feather Nbr 4 – babsjeheron

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She would pluck the feather from the water’s surface, and shake loose the droplets…
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…And then carefully drop the feather back down into the water…
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Great Blue Heron Fishes with Feather Nbr 5 – babsjeheron

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After a few moments, she retrieved it with that stiletto beak again, shook it dry, and then dropped it into the water once more.
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Transfixed, I watched her repeat this for more than ten minutes.
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It looked almost ritualistic – totemic or shamanic even.
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Great Blue Heron Fishes with Feather Nbr 6 – babsjeheron

To see a feathered creature brandishing a feather from a different bird in such repetitive behavior.
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And then it dawned on me.
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Before she first picked up the feather, she had been fishing, staring intently into the water as though tracking a fish, from the half-submerged pine trunk.
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Great Blue Heron Fishes with Feather Nbr 8 – babsjeheron

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And once she picked up the feather, she continued her fishing – using the feather as bait to attract her prey, the fish.
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How smart a bird and how alluring a lure she chose.
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Crows are the master tool users of the bird world, but as this experience shows, herons are smart birds, too.
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Great Blue Heron Fishes with Feather Nbr 10 – babsjeheron

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I’ve observed herons using tools for fishing on other occasions, but there’s something magical and special about her choice of a feather.
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After all, don’t human fishermen – especially fly casters – often fashion their lures with feathers?
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Great Blue Heron Fishes with Feather Nbr 11 – babsjeheron

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Why should a Great Blue Heron choose any differently?
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Ingenious heron!
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Great Blue Heron Fishes with Feather Nbr 13 – babsjeheron

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That day, I took more than 925 photographs at the lake.
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The Great Blue Heron you see here is one of only three I’ve named: Juliette.
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Great Blue Heron Fishes with Feather Nbr 14 – babsjeheron

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While Juliette and I were in the middle cove, her suitor Romeo was just over the ridge in the long slender cove, oblivious to the mysterious joys of fly casting with a feather.
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Romeo missed all the fun that day.
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Last Wednesday I had a successful eye surgery, but apparently it hasn’t cured my dyslexia, and I posted my photo backwards accidentally. I think this is right now?

Babsje With Clear Eye Patch – babsjeheron

The eye patch is only temporary, but I sure could use a more fetching one!

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This post is prompted by Cee Neuner and the creative and inspiring Lens Artists Tina, Amy, Patti, and Leya, all of whom encourage the community of photographers and writers. The focus for this week’s LAPC is Going Wide. Isn’t Go Wide something the Coach calls as a football play? Or wasn’t there a saying Go Big or Go Home? I don’t have a wide-angle camera lens any more, so I can’t Go Wide. Maybe I should just Go Home. Unless the big, wide sky encompassing Comet Hale-Bopp and the Pleiades counts:

Comet Hale-Bopp at top right, the Pleiades mid-frame above the trees – babsjeheron.

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Thanks to Cee for her CMMC: Dark Greens. Green foliage abounds at the lake.
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From Patti Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 165: Going Wide .
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From Tina Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 165: Going Wide .
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From Amy Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 165: Going Wide .

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From Leya Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 164: Looking Up, Looking Down .
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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.

TCAN – The Center for Arts Natick
.
Natick Town Hall
.
Five Crows Gallery in Natick
,
Audubon Sanctuary
.

Be a fly on the wall! You can CLICK HERE to see the gallery walls with Herons .
.

.

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

Here’s Looking at You Blue Heron

If birds can feel joy, this Great Blue Heron certainly must be joyful in this moment – babsjeheron.

The shadow passed by just as I reached for the styrofoam peanut bobbing to the right of the kayak’s bow. As I secured the bit of styrofoam under the bungee, I glanced up, and there she stood, not three feet away.  I froze in place and held my breath, certain that she would flush immediately.

Here’s looking at you, kid – babsjeheron

Only the day before, I had posted a rant about photographers and birders endangering Herons by getting too close – and here I was, myself, far too close, three feet from this wild creature.

How could this have happened?

When exiting the first of the two northbound tunnels, a decision needs to be made: which way to go? East or North? At that juncture, I always use binoculars to check conditions in both directions and I also look also up for Herons in trees and down, for ones on the shore. I look for Herons – of course I look for Herons – but I’m also on the lookout for other boats. Fishermen in bass boats, canoes, kayaks, and even stand-upon paddle boards frequent both waterways.

Satisfied that there were no boats in either direction, and no Herons that my passing through might flush, I set a course for the morning.

Vista seen immediately when exiting tunnel. Which way should we go – should we turn right into the deep, dark stillness to the East, or paddle left into the bright open sunshine to the North?

Part of my daily routine is retrieving floating litter that might harm the birds and other creatures. Plastics, and styrofoam in particular, can have an insidious effect and ultimately prove fatal when eaten or when an animal becomes ensnared. NOAA’s Marine Debris Program (click here) is a good starter resource.

So, that morning I eased into the channel with an eye on the water surface, looking for styrofoam bits to remove. I wasn’t watching the sky or the trees, and so didn’t see the Great Blue on approach, nor her landing three feet away while I was bending out over the water. I saw a shadow and felt a presence, but she was soundless.

Why would this wild bird land so close to a human? Some wild birds and animals become desensitized to humans through frequent exposure. Some wild creatures are opportunistic, and have learned that humans are an easy source of food.

This particular Great Blue Heron had landed very near me three times before. The first time, she swooped in and landed under the tree canopy where my hide was in the cove. She couldn’t see me there, and that encounter was an accident. At that time, she was followed onto the shore by another Heron, and threatened with an imminent attack, which I wrote about in The Lesser of Evils. Back then, I rescued her from the attacking Heron, and maybe she recognized me in the same way that the Heron recognized the fisherman taxi driver who had rescued it. So, in addition to being habituated to human presence and opportunistic foragers, some birds that have been helped by humans become less fearful of us or see us as friends.

Meanwhile, back at the lake, the shadow passed by just as I reached for the styrofoam peanut bobbing to the right of the kayak’s bow. As I secured the bit of styrofoam under the bungee, I glanced up, and there the Heron stood, not three feet away.  I froze in place and held my breath, certain that she would flush immediately.

I sat there stock still for many minutes, watching as she began fishing along the shoreline in front of me, craning her neck out farther and farther over the water, stalking a fish. Eventually, I relaxed and pulled out the camera, but she was too close! My lens was too long to get her entire body properly in the frame.

She fished for a while, and seemed unworried by my presence so close. After a bit, she turned slightly, looking left and then right as a human would when about to cross the street, and I guessed that she was preparing to take off across the lake.

Great Blue Heron looking with right eye – babsjeheron.

I guessed wrong.

She turned herself around in a full circle, looking around all 360 degrees, and I was sure she would step towards the channel and lift off, but I was wrong.

She took a step…

…Right towards me.

I held my breath once again.

She leveled her gaze at me. We locked eyes and time stood still.

Eventually, I dared to raise the camera and took the photo at the top of this post.

She took another step in my direction, and angled her head slightly, so she could take me in with her right eye.

Great Blue Heron looking with left eye – babsjeheron

Did she lift off then? No. She swiveled her head and stared at me for a few more moments with her left eye.

Again, I lowered the camera to better savor the experience, and simply sat there in stillness with her, not wanting to break whatever spell held me entranced in the moment.

Once again, I expected her to gather into a crouch and spring up and across the channel, further into the lake.

I was only partly wrong this time. She lowered down fully, her belly almost touching the water, and then sprung up, energy uncoiled propelling her, but not across the channel.

She arced low, and curved around, directly over the stern of my kayak, landing only four feet beyond on the same shore.

In my very first post, I recalled an encounter with a Great Blue Heron from almost twenty years ago. At that time, I described the feeling as though I was looking at a being of kindness and intelligence, and an equal. Back then, I wrote that post about mindfulness and stillness and the ways a camera would have gotten in the way of truly being in the moment.

This time, I did have a camera with me. And by lowering the camera I was fully present with the Great Blue Heron in a way not possible with the lens in between us. Other photographers I know have also lowered their cameras to simply sit with the wildlife.

I’m grateful for having had the camera with me, and for the small number of photos from that day, but more grateful for the silent moments spent with that beautiful creature, our eyes locked from three feet away, searching for what lies within each of our beings.
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Babsje With Clear Eye Patch – babsjeheron

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Did you notice that this Great Blue Heron looked at me first with one eye, and then the other eye? I’m sure you know by now whether you are left-handed, right-handed, or ambidextrous, but do you know that you also have a dominant eye? I wonder if birds have dominant eyes like humans do? You may be left-eyed, or right-eyed, or it may vary depending on what activity you’re doing. Your dominant eye may or may not be on the same side lf your body as your dominant hand.

If you’re a photographer, you probably instinctively know which eye is dominant – the one you use through the view finder. Some people keep the non-dominant eye closed while shooting, but others keep both eyes open – the better to see what else is taking place at the periphery.

An internet search will return a lot of fascinating information and tests to determine which eye is dominant for you – some sophisticated and some quite simple. The simplest one is the thumb test. Locate an object you can see clearly. Then with both eyes wide open, extend your arm in front of you towards that object. Aim your thumb on the extended arm so it is positioned directly over the chosen object. Close each eye one at a time. You should notice that one eye keeps your thumb centered over your target when you have closed the other eye. The eye that stays centered on your target object is your dominant eye.

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I’m right-handed for most things, but left-handed for softball and baseball. My dominant eye is my left eye. But that is subject to change. In the above photo, you may notice that my left eye is covered by a protective patch.

Long time readers may remember that I lost all sight in my left eye in the summer of 2020, and I had successful retina surgery exactly one year ago this week. It was nearly miraculous – within one day of the retina repair last year, my eyesight was restored.

A known and expected complication of eye surgery is the formation of a cataract. I unfortunately developed a severe one that profoundly limited my left eye and I have been blind again in that eye for months. Before the surgery I could not even see the eye chart on the wall much less read it.

Three days ago I had a second surgery, and the results so far have been a marvel! Please reach out if you (or a loved one) need an excellent eye surgeon in eastern Massachusetts.

Or if you know where I can find a more fetching eye patch!

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This post is prompted by Cee Neuner and Debbie Smyth and the creative and inspiring Lens Artists Tina, Amy, Patti, and Leya, all of whom encourage the community of photographers and writers. This week, the Lens Artists have invited Sofia Alves of Photographias as guest host. The focus this week is Looking Up, Looking Down. Please check out their gorgeous photos at the links listed below. My offering includes mentions of looking up and down while on the lake, not to mention that post-surgery the outlook for my eyesight is looking way up!

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Thanks to Cee for her CMMC: Dark Greens. Green foliage abounds at the lake.
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Thanks to Debbie for her Six Word Saturday . This post title has the requisite six words!

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From Sofia Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 164: Looking Up, Looking Down .

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From Patti Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 164: Looking Up, Looking Down .
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From Tina Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 164: Looking Up, Looking Down .
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From Amy Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 164: Look Up, Look Down .

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From Leya Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 164: Looking Up, Looking Down .
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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.

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! You can CLICK HERE to see the gallery walls with Herons .
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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

Beautiful Great Egret Keeping it Light

Egret lunging from the shore to catch a fish – babsjeheron

Egret in profile – babsjeheron

The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down a very deep well.

~ Lewis Carroll
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass

Egret looks inside – babsjeheron

“Hmmm,” said Egret to nobody in particular. “The book says that the rabbit-hole goes straight like a tunnel… This looks like a tunnel to me. Could this be that famous rabbit-hole, I wonder?”
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Egret investigates another tunnel – babsjeheron

“Or, maybe this tunnel here is the real rabbit-hole?” muttered Egret. “Looks like it goes straight, too, but it’s too dark in there to see if it dips suddenly down. What I wouldn’t give for a lantern right about now.”
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Curious egret peers into entrance – babsjeheron

Egret was thinking to himself, “These tunnels are all starting to look the same to me,” until he came across this one. “Yikes, there are bars on this one. I wonder if the bars are intended to keep what’s inside in, or what’s outside out?”
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“Maybe I should go ask Alice before I try to go through any of them” Egret sighed at last before launching into flight.
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The End.
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Please CLICK HERE for more Great Egret Photos . (Note: I will update the Gallery with more photos soon.)
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Obligatory Great Blue Heron:

Great Blue Heron Fishes with Feather – babsjeheron

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This post is prompted by Cee Neuner and the creative and inspiring Lens Artists Tina, Amy, Patti, and Leya, all of whom encourage the community of photographers and writers. This week, the Lens Artists focus on gorgeous photos with the theme of It’s All About the Light.

There are many kinds of light – natural and artificial, incandescent, LED, Ultra-Violet, sunrise, sunset, and do you remember what Noel Coward wrote about the noon sun – “Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.”

But there’s another kind of light: light-hearted. And that is what today’s Great Egret post is all about – just a silly bit of light-hearted fun.
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Thanks to Cee for her CMMC: Close Up The Great Egret is giving those three tunnels a close up inspection.
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From Patti Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 162: About the Light .
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From Tina Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 162: About the Light .
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From Amy Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 162: About the Light .

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From Leya Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 162: About the Light .
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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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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 Egret, Kayaking, TCAN, Five Crows, Natick