Great Blue Herons Along the Bike Path

Spring has sprung.  I began my third season on the bike path this week.  In spite of the calendar, the trees are bare and there is not much green yet.  Robins abound and there is a stray cardinal, titmouse and blue jay here and there, but still relatively few and far between.  But the Great Blue Herons have been out.

I enjoy watching them stand motionless, then all of a sudden pluck a fish, frog or small rodent out of the shallow water.  In the time I've been frequenting the path, occasionally I see one fly off, but usually under the cover of trees without being able to get a good photo.  That was until yesterday.

There was a young heron, relatively small and very curious on one side of the river.  When I stopped and took out my camera, he intently watched me.  I approached slowly and snapped a few photos.  As I got closer, I saw him preparing to fly.  He slowly took off and I was able to get a couple of good photos.  He only flew a short distance, so I cautiously approached him again.  Hee let me snap a couple of shots, then flew off again.

Today I saw the same heron in the same area.  Again, he watched me, curiously but not overly frightened.I snapped a couple of photos but was unable to get a decent in flight photo.  A few miles down the path, I saw another heron perched in a tree.  He must have been napping and was standing as a flamingo does when it sleeps, with one leg up.

Within the next few weeks the trees will start to bud and the path will be a flurry of activity with rabbits, Canada Geese with their babies, ducks, deer, squirrels, chipmunks and all kinds of species of birds.  But for now, I am enjoying seeing the herons after spending a very long, cold, snowy winter in the city away from the bike path.