Patience pays off – an encounter with a green heron

Yesterday’s kayak trip took place just down the street at Eckblaw Landing. Here you can take a trip down the Quinsigamond River. I’ve done this trip several times and don’t usually see all that much in the way of birds because the MA Turnpike runs right over the river. Still, sometimes you really hit the jackpot:

640 eye

This is the green heron, not to be confused with his much bigger counterpart, the blue heron:

560 great blue heron other side

The green heron is not nearly as common. This one put on quite a show for me, staying for a long time and allowing me to get quite close:

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It’s hard to describe how I feel when I see such a site and have the privilege of viewing it for such a long time. I credit my mother with passing along this joy of nature to me. It fills my heart, mind and soul with things beyond words. Sitting in my kayak I found myself wishing my mother had had the chance to enjoy birding in this way, totally still on the river, watching the show unfold. She was afraid of the water and I don’t think she would have enjoyed kayaking for that reason but the thrill of seeing such a magnificent creature up close and personal might have assuaged her fear. Someday when we meet again, we will have to talk about this.

9-painted turtle2 featuredIn the meantime, I hope you enjoy the show. By the way, did I tell you I also saw a painted turtle swimming under the water? I wish I could have captured him on film but rather than take the time to find my camera, I decided to just watch another one of God’s creatures paddling under water without a care in the world.

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