The Heron and the Full Moon!
WOW!!! What a morning I had…I am in Lenox for a few days exploring the nature preserves out here. I drove out Monday and went to the three different preserves that day to do my scouting. I can’t stop thinking about yesterday morning because it was so incredible. I booked these three nights so that I would be out here with the full moon setting in the mornings.
I arrived very early at the Pleasant Valley MA Audubon property yesterday morning- no surprise.:) I had spent quite a bit of time there on Monday so I knew exactly where I was headed when I arrived yesterday. It was 45 degrees and crystal clear skies with no wind. I started by taking a shot of the moon for you as soon as I got of the car.
The September full moon is commonly known as the Corn Moon - the time for harvesting corn. I am going to call if the Heron Moon for this year - you will see why…
I put my headlamp on and grabbed my gear and off I went.
It is time to come along with me for a very special outing. I kept debating whether I needed my headlamp but I decided that I did - a lot of the paths have lots of roots and I knew I would be taking a path through the woods to get where I was headed. No sooner had I passed the building to my right where you check-in during normal visiting hours that I saw that the moon was just above the Program building to my left. I looked up to see this Weathervane on the roof….. so I set up to take this shot for you - what a great way to start my morning…. Off we go!
I went down the grassy path that leads to the path into the woods. I was very glad I had my headlamp - I would not have been able to take this path without it. I kept going downhill through the woods heading towards the swampy area where the beaver damns are and I had to cross a little stream. Luckily the perfectly placed flat stones made it very easy to cross the small stream. I finally got to the part of the path that goes alongside the swampy area and I was now out of the woods and no longer needed my headlamp. I picked up my pace so that I could get to the spot I had in mind….
I made it to my spot - exactly as I had hoped - the full moon was in front of me and the sun would rise behind me - a great start to the day. Little did I know that the large tree you see to the right in this shot held my prize of the day - a Great Blue Heron.
I continued along the path to decide exactly where I wanted to be. I stopped to focus on that big tree to see if anyone was sitting in it - and that is when I spotted the Heron. I have had no luck with Herons this year…. until yesterday morning! I have seen them throughout the summer but way out in the distance. As soon as I saw the heron in the distance on that branch I decided I would keep moving a few steps forward quietly… wait… move again… wait… move again… wait… and then move again until I could capture what I was dreaming about - this shot. I know I was holding my breath the entire time!
And then this…….
I knew that I was in for the long haul with this majestic bird. I waited and waited and waited…. for a very long time… and kept thinking…. Is there any possible way that the Heron will let me get even closer as the moon is now dropping behind her? I thought to myself… so far she has not cared one bit about my presence…. so I crept as quietly as I could and tried to find an opening while on the path to get a shot between hundreds of reeds and branches and all kinds of things in my line of vision. I finally found a tiny “window” to look through to get this shot - this was my one and only angle for this shot…. :) Being as close as I was and with her against the setting full moon took my breath away -
And then this….
I decided to stay right where I was and wait for the moon to totally set and for the sun to light her up - and the sun did exactly that! I am calling her a she - I have no idea. Absolutely love how they can stand endlessly on one leg with the other leg tucked up into their feathers….And I get tired standing on two legs.
Here Comest The Sun -
I figured at some point the primping would begin. I waited a very long time and it finally did. What unfolded next was more than I could have hoped for…
Can you imagine going for a walk and looking up and seeing this?? :). Absolutely stunning….
Nature’s ballerina -
Yes, please take a bow! Incredible…. I have seen Herons spread their wings while roosting on a branch… but I have never seen it this close in such perfect light and performed this majestically. What a gift -
Then it was time to shakes out those feathers. I find it simply amazing all of the looks that a heron has -
And now its incredible neck stretch…
I figured she was getting ready to take flight after this incredible show…
And here she goes! One of the things about watching a heron take flight - you realize how much thrust they need to get under those enormous wings to take off from a standing still position. I knew that I could fire off a lot of shots while staying focused on her eyes and that she would give me many chances of various wing positions while I barely had to move my camera. Usually when a bird takes off it is all that I can do to keep up with them as they take flight. With a heron so much goes into taking off I pretty much held my camera still and just fired away… what a thrill.
Now you can start to get a sense of that spectacular 6 foot wingspan -
And then down into the reeds in a flash - I could hear the commotion but could no longer track her. The patience of a Blue Heron is something to behold…. Once she was out of my sight and I stepped away from my camera I realized that I had no idea how long I had been watching and photographing her - I certainly knew that it was quite some time. According to my time stamps on my photos - it was almost 1 hour and 45 minutes from beginning to end. This encounter was a gift that I will always be grateful for.
I then picked up my gear and walked along the path that connects to the trail with this boardwalk to head back to my car. Many Native Americans believe that Great Blue Herons symbolize patience, silence and grace - I couldn’t agree more.