Beautiful Great Blue Herons on Display – 500th Blog Post

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, blog friend 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 my hero 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, 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?
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I want to thank the excellent wildlife photographer Wayne for encouraging me to find and thank fisherman hero Dennis.

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?

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

Great Blue Heron by shadow of chain link fence barrier – 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 five 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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Today’s post participates in several challenges: Debbie Smyth’s One Word Sunday – Barrier (https://travelwithintent.com/2023/10/07/barrier/), I.J.’s Bird of the Week, The Lens Artists “On Display” Challenge, and Water Water Everywhere by Jez.

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About this post. I have recently been discharged from 19 days in the hospital due to serious heart failure. While in the hospital, reading posts from others was often a source of joy and light – yes, including some political screeds – although my ability to comment was very limited.

I want to thank everyone who has offered support and patience and words of encouragement, especially the kind folks at The Center for Arts Natick like Erin and Sydnie and the Five Crows Gallery owners Sherry, Marie, and Ginger. Athena of the Natick Center Cultural District has done a phenomenal job of keeping Natick on the Arts map. My dear friend Naomi replenished my pantry and freezer wth an abundance of organic goodies when I have been unable to cook. Last but not least, I am grateful for the excellent compassionate care from my cardiologist Dr. Burcu Gul Weiner and the staff at Metrowest Medical Center.

Alas, my days of photographing the magnificent Great Blue Herons from the cockpit of my kayak floating on the lake have come to an end. One door has closed, but who know what other doors now open?

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TCAN Lobby Wall Herons August 2023 – babsjeheron

My Great Blue Heron photographs were once again on display on the walls of the lobby and theater in a free one-woman show at the Summer Street Gallery, of The Center for Arts in Natick. The Summer Street Gallery provides an opportunity for accomplished visual artists in the region to have their work prominently displayed. Please stop by TCAN to see the wonderful gallery of artworks by many talented visual artists, as well as excellent live music performances and stage plays. The gallery is open whenever the box office is open, so please check hours here.

Who knows? Maybe I’ll see you there. I’d like that!

As always, many of my own photos were taken on the waterways of the Charles River watershed.

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Natick Center Cultural District logo

Folks, now that some areas have opened back up in a new normal, please consider supporting your local Arts communities – whether music, theater, crafts, visual arts venues, and others. All have been impacted over the past THREE years and they still need your love more than ever.
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The Natick Center Cultural District is situated in a friendly, classic New England town hosting a vibrant, contemporary fusion of art, culture and business. Click here and here to learn more!

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My brick & mortar presence in Massachusetts dates back to 2009 in several local venues/galleries.
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Watch this space for my free 2023 one-woman show – LIVE NOW at TCAN!
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TCAN – The Center for Arts Natick:

• August & September 2023 – One-woman photography show
• January thru February 2022 – One-woman photography show
• December 2019 thru January 2020 – One-woman photography show
• May, June, July 2018 – One-woman photography show
• July 2016 – One-woman photography show
• March 2016 – One-woman photography show
• May 2015 – One-woman photography show

Natick Town Hall:

• July 2022 to January 2023 – Group exhibit
• January thru June 2022 – Group exhibit
• September thru october 2018 – One-woman photography show

Five Crows Gallery in Natick – Represented since 2013
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Audubon Sanctuary:

• July 2009 – One-woman photography show

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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™

A Patience of Herons™

© 2003-2023 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)

Share the love, but please respect the copyright. No reposting of any photos without permission.

Great Blue Heron, Kayaking, TCAN, Five Crows, Natick Center Cultural District, Osprey

My What Big Talons You Have, Exclaimed Goldilocks to the Osprey

Osprey taking flight.

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Thanks to the kind folks at SkyWatch Friday.

Thanks once more to Prairiebirder Charlotte for her Feathers on Friday prompt.

Thanks again to Stewart Moncton for the Wild Bird Wednesday prompt.

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Remember: Walk softly and carry a long lens.

© 2013 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s …

It’s NOT a great blue heron!

The herons have allowed a guest bird in their blog today, an osprey. What fun!

Young osprey perched amid pinecones.

There are several osprey at the lake, and I’ve been watching the one shown in this post since 2009. This osprey can be found perching in several specific trees throughout the day, and in Autumn it seems to follow the sunlight around the lake. The tall pine in the photo above is a good afternoon spot, where it can bask in the warming sun on a chilly day.

This osprey is very curious and frequently makes direct fly-overs of my kayak, perhaps to see if I have any fish – I don’t – or just because of some other bird reason unknown to man. On many occasions, it has landed on the limbs of a tree directly above my kayak while I’ve been snugged against the shore relaxing.

Osprey taking off from a perch high in a dead pine.

A favorite morning spot for this osprey is a tall, dead pine where it can perch high up with an unobstructed view of two coves, the channel, and one of the tunnels.

Early one day, when I was settled against the shore underneath that tree, photographing a great blue heron across the way, a large shadow passed overhead. I took the camera away from my eye and looked up to see the osprey landing in the tree directly above me. It perched there for a while, and I resumed photographing the heron.

The tree is across from a place that has been a favorite fishing spot for the herons over the years. I’ve seen the herons catch some very large trout and bass and sunfish there. Maybe the osprey watching the herons fishing there is on the lookout for any fish that escape the heron’s bills? With their keen eyesight, the osprey could easily track any that get away and swoop in for the kill. Perhaps it’s a symbiotic relationship between osprey and heron. That’s my story theory and I’m sticking to it.

Another osprey that has the southern end of the lake for territory also does the same thing – whenever I’m paddling there, the osprey approaches directly overhead as if to check things out. Maybe they recognize my boat after all these years? I always wear the exact same colors for each outing, so perhaps that makes me memorable to them.

Whatever the reason for the ospreys’ curiousity, I love their presence.

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Thanks to the kind folks at Skywatch Friday.

Thanks also to Ailsa and WordPress for the Travel Theme: Height challenge.

Thanks again to Prairiebirder Charlotte for her Feathers on Friday prompt.

And thanks once more to Michelle for the Weekly Pet Challenge Roundup nudge.

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(The photos here were taken October, 2009 and August, 2013)

© 2013 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)

Great Blue Heron: 1, Osprey: 0 – Weekly Photo Challenge: Foreshadow

When the fledgling great blue heron settled in on the branch vacated by the osprey only minutes earlier, I should have known things at the lake would get exciting.

Great blue heron fledgling has returned to his nest.

Even though they had fully fledged eight days earlier, the fledglings occasionally returned to the nest, and sometimes they were joined by one of the parents. On this day, only one fledgling was back, but he stayed for quite a while, sunning himself high above the boat traffic.

Earlier that day,  I had been thinking that I hadn’t seen any osprey at all at the lake the entire year. Then in mid-afternoon, as if the osprey had read my mind, one darted from down-channel and perched on a dead tree limb across from the herons’ nesting island. The osprey preened a bit, and then settled in for a while. 

The fledgling in the nest seemed very interested in the osprey, staring intently across the channel, watching closely.

After a while, the osprey stirred, and then suddenly dove towards the water for dinner, landed his prey in one swift move and absconded for the eastern cove, fish-in-talons.

Meanwhile, the great blue heron fledgling anxiously watched as two fishermen in a row boat stroked closer and closer to the island and nest. They landed on the shore, and flushed the fledgling in the process.

The fledgling took flight and quickly found refuge on the dead tree limb across the channel – the same branch vacated by the osprey only minutes earlier – and resumed his sunbath that had been interrupted by the boaters. He settled in and I watched from a distance through binoculars.

I should have known the osprey wasn’t gone for good, and that things would get exciting.

When the osprey returned from the eastern cove and rounded the corner to reclaim his branch, the fledgling heron was already there, but the osprey had no way of knowing that his perch had been taken; the branch was obscured from the osprey’s line of sight by pine boughs and deciduous branches, and as he curved back towards the branch from the cove, he was flying blind for a few meters.

A great blue heron fledgling emerges victorious when an osprey tries to land on the same branch occupied by the heron. The osprey is cartwheeling at bottom right corner.

The osprey swooped in to the final feet for his landing, just about to grasp the branch with his talons extended, only to find the interloper heron already there. I’m not sure who was more startled, the osprey or the heron. The heron bellowed out a piercing frawhnk, more bark than bird call, and lept up a foot in the air, his wings akimbo to threaten the osprey. The osprey let out a shrill scream and plummeted from the branch, whirling and cartwheeling before righting himself and flying off to the south.

I find it remarkable that a great blue heron fledgling that had fledged only eight days earlier would emerge the victor in a territorial skirmish against an adult osprey. The osprey was at a disadvantage, of course, because of its blind approach to the branch when returning from the cove.

But still… Go heron!

Heron: 1, Osprey: 0

Osprey juvenile preening chest feathers.

The osprey is a magnificent and graceful raptor, and I feel a little guilty showing one losing the battle, in a clumsy way.

To make up for that, the bottom photo here is an osprey juvenile from today’s outing, not at all clumsy while preening. I have no idea where the osprey nest is located, but each year, I’ve observed one or two fledglings or juveniles at the lake. They’re not a “common” sight, and so it’s always a thrill to see them.

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Thanks for the Weekly Photo Challenge nudge Krista Stevens and WordPress.
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(This took place August 20, 2012)

© 2013 Babsje. (https://babsjeheron.wordpress.com)