Great Blue Heron Time Stands Still

Pterodactyl? Great blue heron catching prize fish – babsjeheron

At breakneck speed, all were flung into the present as the man in the bass boat bellowed “It’s a Pterodactyl! It’s an effing Pterodactyl!”

At the time it was amusing – I had my head down stowing gear under the bow of the kayak and didn’t actually see the Great Blue Heron, but hearing the man shriek about a Pterodactyl left no doubt about what had just crossed his bow. So, when even a random fisherman makes that association, I am definitely not alone in seeing Great Blue Herons as modern-day relics of a prehistoric time.

Time stood still that day in the secluded cove.

The rumbling of a lumbering Diplodocus moving towards the tallest stand of trees echoed over the ridge. A school of Leedsichthys searched for plankton in the watery depths, swishing this way and that. Overhead, a flock of Archaeopteryx flapped and wheeled, warming their wings in the late day sunlight.

A lone Pterosaur spied a prize fish and dove towards the water, and in the instant it surfaced with the fish, time stopped standing still.

At breakneck speed, all were flung into the present as the man in the bass boat bellowed, “It’s a Pterodactyl! It’s an effing Pterodactyl!”

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The fisherman really did bellow that quote in the channel. At the time it happened, I was looking down in the cockpit of the kayak, stowing gear. The moment I heard his shouting, I knew it could only mean one thing: a Great Blue Heron flying nearby.

I rendered the photo in B&W to give it a more ancient look, and besides – they didn’t have color film back when Pterodactyls ruled the skies.

According to the wonderful resource, Heron Conservation:

The herons are a fairly ancient group of birds. Although bird fossils are rare, herons are exceptionally rare even by avian standards totaling fewer than 40 identified species. Herons first emerge in the fossil record some 60 -38 million years ago.

When even a random fisherman at my lake makes that association, I am definitely not alone in seeing Great Blue Herons as modern-day relics of a prehistoric time.

That gives me goosebumps!

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Thanks to Cee for her CFFC: Birds. A Pterodactyl is a bird, right?
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Thanks to Debbie for her Six Word Saturday . This post title has the requisite six words!
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Thanks again to Paula for her earlier Black & White Sunday: Traces of the Past photo prompt. I’m linking to one of Paula’s earlier challenges, an act which involves something from the past, and certainly a Pterodactyl is from a trace of the past.
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The amazing Lens Artists Tina, Patti, Amy, and Leya are taking a much-deserved and much-needed break for the month of July. This week’s challenge focuses on the topic Black & White. Anne Sandler from her blog Slow Shutter Speed is the host this week.

Check out Anne’s beautiful B&W photos here: Lens Artists Weekly Photo Challenge 156: Black and White .

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

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

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

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

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

The Tao of Feathers™

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

Great Blue Heron, TCAN, Five Crows, Natick