The Series: Great Blue Herons

Many Native American traditions believe in totem animals that provide spiritual guidance and lessons throughout our lives.  In this tradition, the Great Blue Heron stands for individuality, uniqueness, balance, and peace.

Herons seem to have a way of finding me.

Back in Davenport, we had a large pond out back that was home to the standard run of urban woodland creatures: squirrels, deer, raccoons, ducks, the occasional groundhog -- but we also had a heron nest that was used every year.  Though I moved away many years ago, my mother tells me that the herons are still there.

Last fall, I traveled through western North Carolina, starting with an afternoon sitting on an empty cove along the shores of Lake Norman.  As I read under the shade of the trees, I enjoyed the quiet, broken only by the occasional boat in the distance and the steady lapping of the water against the shore.

And then there it was.

I sat, still and silent, watching the heron wade in the shallows, catching minnows and whatever other small creatures were living there.  After about twenty minutes, it meandered off...and so did I.

That next spring, I was caught completely off guard by a heron on my roof.  These are the best shots I have of the creature, as I had the perfect combination of good lighting, clear blue sky, and a patient subject that somehow stayed still long enough for me to capture it in great detail.

 On a recent trip to DC, I was exploring the Jefferson Memorial as part of a segway safari (incidentally, a fabulously fun way to see the city).  As my friend and I made our way around the perimeter of the monument, I spotted another heron in the shallows of the Tidal Basin.  The fading evening light and the compressed timeframe made for a less than ideal shot, but the blurry edges of it almost captures the moment better: something fleeting and on the edge of your vision.

I've since seen my current resident heron flying overhead a few more times, once with a partner, so I imagine somewhere off in the grove of trees there are little heron chicks getting ready to make their first flights.  I can only hope they make another stop on my roof and that I'm there to witness it.