Green Heron visits GBH Rookery

I spent a couple of hours watching the Herons this morning. Some of the nests have chicks that are almost the size of their mothers. And a number of the nests have 4 chicks in them. The nests should be getting crowded as they continue to grow. At least one of the females frequently leaves the nest without the male being there and leaving the chicks alone. When she does that they begin to explore like crazy. I was sure they were putting themselves in danger of falling out of the nest as they balanced themselves on the side of the nests and took in the scene below. If they were to fall, it would be goodby to them since they cannot fly and certainly cannot swim!! As I packed up to leave I saw this Green Heron swoop in and begin to hunt for his lunch. Very pretty bird!!

Great Blue Herons as Role Models

After about 30 days the chicks are getting fairly large. This particular nest has 4 chicks in it so things are also beginning to get a bit crowded. I drop by for a few minutes almost every day and I am amazed at what great parenting skills and what commitment to family is displayed by these guys. Every once in a while the male realizes that the female needs a few minutes to stretch, so he flies in and they trade places. She flies away, presumedly to stretch and spread her wings a bit and probably to decompress, and he takes her place watching over the chicks. At other times, he is hunting for food and when he catches it he dutifully brings home the "bacon" to Momma who stores it away until needed. Last week I saw one of the females reach down into the bottom of the nest and come up with a fish larger than her whole head. It seems she swallows it whole and you can see it working itself down her neck. Incredible!!!

Great Blue Heron Rookery

Discovered a Heron Rookery about half a mile from my home and have been fascinated by the nesting activity of the birds. I had extensive shoulder surgery late January and have been unable to lift my hand to my camera shutter button comfortably. In spite of that I have been able to get some neat images by pacing myself and resting often. These birds are fascinating to watch. The male goes through an extensive courting ritual including a magnificent display of colorful feathers and beak until he has chosen (or been chosen) by a female. They then go through a nest building phase pausing occasionally to mate!!! The male goes out and finds a stick and brings it back to the female who painstakingly places and anchors it into the fabric of the nest. When the nest is sufficient, the female sits and lays her eggs while the male takes care of finding food for her. The gestation periof for the eggs is 28 days so I am looking forward to seeing the babies in the nest around the middle of April. Will keep you posted!!

Dragonfly

It rained last night so I spent some time down near the creek on the Six Mile Creek Greenway today hoping that the dragonflies would be out. They were....and so were the mosquitos. It is interesting watching and photographing the dragonflies. They fly around seemingly aimlessly but I don't believe that at all. Quickly one realizes that if you set up on a spot where one of them landed for a while ... It will reurn to the spot most of the time...you just have to be patient. One learns patience while attempting to do nature photography!!

Roan Mountain on the Tennesee side

I spent most of Friday at the Roan Mountain State Park. Roan Mountain sits straddle the Tennessee and North Carolina Border and is characterized by 5 "Balds" which are flat areas on the top of the Mountain or Mountain Ridges that are pretty much devoid of trees...only grasses and rocks grow!! I stayed on Roan Bald until 8:45pm waiting for the sun to set...but it was overcast and therefore not pretty!! Oh, well, we can hope for sunrises and sunsets but neither are promised.

The Mountain is famous for the rhododendrums and flaming azealeas that grow on it's top and they were at peak bloom this weekend!!

Ah, see what God has wrought!!!

Don

Bass Lake: Blowing Rock, NC

Spent most of the weekend on top of Roan Mountain and along the Blue Ridge Parkway. On Sunday I spent an hour or so at Bass Lake near Blowing Rock. The lake is literally full of beautiful water lilies. Here is an image from Bass Lake.

Welcome

Welcome! Here you will find my special place for musings and images. Retired now from corporate America, my avocation is wildlife and nature photography and you find images here that are representative of my work. All images are available as fine art prints or for publication. Please contact me for pricing or licensing information!!

Enjoy!!