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A Christmas Story from the Herons

Posted by Pat Stewart on Dec 23, 2014 in My Blog, Think About This | 10 comments

Many of you have read about our sadness in the birding world in So Florida when one of our beloved Great Blue Herons died in the very nest the two mates had just built. Those of us who frequent the Wakodahatchee Wetlands, some of us nearly daily, have been through the normal stages of grief over this very sad thing to occur… just as these intelligent, beautiful birds allowed us to close-up witness their breath-taking courting rituals in their beautiful breeding plumage. Then, once they “claimed” one another, the male began his regular deliveries of twigs and sticks and presented them to his female mate who determined whether they were suitable. So many round trips to and from the nest while under construction. Sometimes we would chuckle quietly as she would take a twig and gently place it here, then there, then looking at her mate those eyes must have communicated, “Honey, this one will just not suffice! Come back with something better. OK?” Absolutely, a marvelous privilege to observe this beauty of nature with two strikingly gorgeous birds nearly 4 ft. tall…and then, the sadness in realizing the mate is lying deceased in the nest. So, so sad. But, then, something else happened…the bittersweet realization that God had programmed these birds to stand by their mates even after death. Mourning? Grieving? In shock? It was their “time” to create more Great Blue Herons. But, she has laid motionless for well over a week with her loyal mate at her side. Oh, my goodness! One of our birding friends reported that when she was there visiting that he lay down next to his mate and partially laid upon her. So tender. So divinely created they are. More tears from the grieving and learning humans. We’re sure it happens all the time in the wild, but in this totally beautiful rookery where the humans stand in awe to observe, photograph, learn and give thanks for the lovely, blessed opportunity , it’s right before our eyes not more than 15-20 feet away. Front row seats, EVERY time!! I broke my own rule… “Always believe something beautiful is about to happen.” How do I let this happen to me? I KNOW that God uses all our broken pieces to make something beautiful! I KNOW that!! So, here is the beauty for today in the rookery of broken hearts. The surviving mate, after standing guard over his deceased mate in the nest they built for nearly 2 weeks, has now taken a new mate and as if we could already not be more inspired, they are building the new nest next to the original one AND they are using feathers from the deceased in the construction. So, the deceased mate will be a part of the new family-to-be. “Always believe something beautiful is about to happen!” Yes, indeed! Photo by Anne Diver ~ ...

Grieving the Great Blue Heron

Posted by Pat Stewart on Dec 18, 2014 in My Blog | 12 comments

With all that is going on in our world today and friends facing terrible situations, some life-threatening, I still find myself grieving the loss of the beautiful Great Blue Heron dying in its nest. So, so sad. A few weeks ago, I watched one of the pair enticing the other with their courting displays. I stood not 15 ft. from them observing the male flying to & fro with twigs and limbs gathered to build the nest and the female receiving each limb and positioning it in just the perfect place, making adjustments as needed. We watched with, perhaps, a little chuckle inside as the male would mount her, and her spreading her wings slightly and crouching. It was over quickly but would occur numerous times. I thought, “They want to make sure they get some babies!” Last Saturday, December 13, I saw one of them return to the nest and a lot of “fluff” bounce up slightly. I thought , “Surely, there couldn’t be chicks yet!” I realized, as I focused my lens on them, it was one of the “agreed” pair lying down so flat in the nest. So, that made me wonder if their were eggs to be kept warm. But, now we know…what none of us wants to be the case, the mate has died in the nest they built to raise their young and give to us, the admiring birding community, so much joy. Now, we find ourselves wondering how this will play out. This beautiful living mate with its bright blue lore signaling it is ready to create more Great Blue Herons, how will this go? What will happen to the lifeless mate in the nest? I find myself now wanting to visit the surviving mate…and following that…just not watch....