Heron Watching

The Great Blue Herons are nesting once again in our area and I am drawn to the rookery to watch and listen to their comings and goings.  By now, the babies are growing up and their voices are loud and raucous.  Their prehistoric-sounding cries to be fed resound throughout the woods, bouncing off of every surface and magnifying as they hit my ears.  Today, I introduced my friend Donna to the rookery.  She and I happened upon a man and woman viewing the birds' nests through a high-powered scope.  They cordially invited us to view the activity through the lens.  What a magnificent sight!  Then, shielded by the shade of a nearby building, Donna and I stood, without the benefit of a scope, watching the birds fly in and out, landing on their nests and managing to stay upright as the tall trees swayed in the breeze.  As Donna said so wisely, our lives are all connected.  We both felt a deep, almost inexplicable connection to the herons, the land and to each other in profound ways that morning.