In an early morning glow or evening sunset, I am mesmerized when an egret stands perfectly still in quiet pond or puddle waters. – John James Audubon, French American naturalist (1785-1851)
Great Blue Heron is the color of gray mist reflecting in blue water. And like mist, she can fade into the backdrop. – Delia Owens, author “Where the Crawdads Sing”
It was a comfortable morning sitting on the front porch drinking that first cup of coffee while watching Prairie critters. There was an easy wind blowing while three birds hovered under the silver leaf maple tree about three or four feet above the ground. Then one or two would land on the tree limb and then they started the routine all over again. None of the three seemed to have accomplished anything. I can only imagine that two is company and three’s a crowd.
Wilhelmina, the cat, sat on the porch hanging off the edge. She was gazing at a bird foraging in the fallen leaves. She won’t catch the bird; she just hangs over the side of the porch and watches. The two of us welcomed the morning with the soft wind, birds singing, and more falling leaves from the oak tree. I left Wilhelmina on the porch while I returned to the kitchen for another cup of coffee. Outside the kitchen window our resident Great Egret with its snowy white feathers and a yellow bill had arrived. It stood about three feet tall with a long S-curved neck. It was circling the edge of the pond along the mudflats. Several times the bird stabbed at a fish, threw that long-curved neck back, swallowed, and continued on. The bird has always been alone. Except for the breeding season they are solitary. So, it was a big surprise when a second Great Egret swooped in. The second Great Egret intimidated the first backing it into the woods behind a tree. I don’t know which bird was our resident bird. We call our Great Egrets the “Grace birds” though that day someone wasn’t being graceful.
By the time I finished watching the Egrets, replenished the coffee and returned to the front porch, Wilhelmina had moved on and was headed down to the little bridge over the pond spillway. We haven’t had rain in months, so the spillway was dry. Wilhelmina took to hiding under the bridge. In the meantime, I noticed a rail was down on the fence nearby. The wind had calmed down and the sun came out. I walked across the dried leaves sounding like potato chips crunching. I could only wish.
The fence rails get knocked down by the deer going under or over the fence. I put the rail back in place ‘til the next deer visits. I returned to the front porch, sat down with some heated-up coffee and looked over the big lake. A Great Blue Heron was wading alongside the lake. Both these Egrets and Herons are beautiful. I find the Great Blue Heron a little more intimidating than the Egret. The Blues are five-foot tall with a long spear-like beak that would seem to be just about my eye level. Their feathers seem to be a little ruffled up making them not quite as charming as the Great Egret or as we call them the “Grace birds.” Another day in the life of the Prairie.
Shannon Bardwell is a writer living quietly in the Prairie. Email reaches her at [email protected].
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