Where Blue Heron Treads

Blue Heron's Log

Log Frozen in Ice

Silly on Sundays Bloghop

To go where Blue Heron treads is possible because of ice. A mere stub of log pokes through the frozen layers of Elmira Pond and I can actually stand where my favorite pond guest likes to sun and preen in the spring and summer.

The first time I ever met Blue Heron he was stalking frogs in the rushes along the water's edge. He's a male, great blue heron nearly four-feet tall with a wing span that approaches seven feet. He's magnificent. His neck compresses like under-the-sink plumbing until he strikes, elongating that neck and wielding his beak-blades to snag a frog, fish or even a field gopher.

When Blue Heron is at rest, he goes to the log across the pond and stands still as carved blue-grey marble. Until molting season. Then he pecks at his feathers until I worry he's diseased. He sheds his mating colors, growing duller feathers before leaving me alone to watch an empty pond in winter.

My daughter, Brianna, joins me on the ice and I show her the log. A gymnastics coach, she struts a few poses, giving me her best Blue Heron imitations. It's a silly thing to do, but giggling on the log helps me overcome the pond's empty-nest-syndrome. I know that the migrators will return, just as the flown children still visit.


Join host blogger EverythingSusan for more Silly on Sundays stories, posts and funnies. Getting silly prepares you for Monday.

Have a few giggles with our photos:

Posing Like Blue Heron

Nifty Heron Leg Trick

Boots on Blue Heron's Log

Statue Still Like Blue Heron