Lift Off

The Season to Soar.

It’s September and the lake is noisy. Wood ducks, ring necks, and mallards yakkety-yakk all day, talking about - who knows what? When shall we pull up stakes and head out? Who’s going first? The Canada geese argue incessantly, squawking and honking, discussing winter destinations and travel routes. Trumpeter swans aggressively blow their horns, chasing everyone else away from their feeding places and smacking their enormous wings on the surface of the water. What a ruckus.

Other waterfowl enter the season quietly. Egrets silently pick up their black stilt-like legs taking careful, slow steps as they peer down into the water looking, looking. Regal blue herons tuck themselves knee deep into the tall grasses near the shore and stand motionless, twitching their long feathery eyebrows, keen yellow eyes observing everything.  

“Such convolutions To sight and track a mere glint! Then the Blue Heron Stiffens and with sublime care Stretches closer and closer”

John Williams

Today I watched from my balcony as a great blue heron stealthily moved in on some creature at the edge of the water and struck - instantly, successfully - and swallowed it whole with one slow undulating stretch of its long neck. Then with a powerful downstroke of its huge wings it lifted, ran a couple of steps on the water, and soared off into the air.

I was close - lucky me.