# Surprise Heron



## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

We startled, and were startled by, a Great Blue Heron on our walk. It was hanging out next to someone's driveway about six feet from the sidewalk. It leapt into the air attempting to get enough altitude to fly away and found itself hemmed in by the house and the trees overgrowing the driveway. It flapped in a great careening circle, nearly taking out an upper story window on the house, before finding an exit to the street and disappearing over a neighbor's house. Galen was all, "Let me at him; I can take him!" No pup, I don't think you want to go up against that sharp bill. My husband thinks the bird was hunting rodents in the yard. I was thinking the bird was hunting fish and snails in the creek behind the house and walked into the yard after discovering there wasn't enough air space over the creek when it wanted to leave again. Whatever the birds reasons for choosing that driveway, it was definitely not a place I ever expected to encounter a heron.


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## Tulsi (Jun 8, 2021)

Amazing! I love herons. Brave Galen.


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

We had a heron that flew down the river regularly between the trees when I was a teenager. The dogs delighted in chasing it. This progressed to chasing the ducks which progressed to chasing migratory geese which progressed to chasing airplanes.... Yup, jets thousands of feet in the air. 

Never caught any birds to my knowledge, but they did a good job of keeping those airplanes from landing in our yard!


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## Deere (Jun 25, 2021)

For Want of Poodle said:


> We had a heron that flew down the river regularly between the trees when I was a teenager. The dogs delighted in chasing it. This progressed to chasing the ducks which progressed to chasing migratory geese which progressed to chasing airplanes.... Yup, jets thousands of feet in the air.
> 
> Never caught any birds to my knowledge, but they did a good job of keeping those airplanes from landing in our yard!


I have a male Great Blue Heron that flys low over my backyard and house every evening before dark/dusk like clock work; he's low enough that Ivan(spoo) and I can easily see the color of legs, feet and belly. He flies from the river to a different pond in my neighborhood and as the seasons change his time to fly over changes to match the beginning of dusk. He is beautiful. We also have Canada Geese, variety of ducks, hawks/raptors and birds migrating to the river for the coming winter. I always feel very privileged to view nature.


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

Oh that's coool. We see herons every once in a while. Pretty bird.


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## Michigan Gal (Jun 4, 2019)

Since we have a pond we are visited by herons. For a few years we had one come in the morning and a second come in the afternoon. I guess it must be a territory thing Because I saw them both at the same time one morning and I think they were sizing each other up. After that, the younger only came in the afternoon. I would go for creek and fish rather than driveway and rodents.

The first time my standard poodle (60 pounds) saw a Great Blue Heron he very wisely kept his distance.


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## BennieJets (Oct 10, 2021)

I LOVE herons. 
Our family went kayaking this summer-- we live near some pretty amazing waterways and forests where I live. And during the trip a heron flew back and forth in front of me, just a few feet away. Then an adolescent one let my son, daughter and partner paddle up to it, about six feet away, while it speared and ate a fish. So magical 😍 I'm really into synchronicity and feeling that unspeakable connection we have to all living things.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

BennieJets said:


> I LOVE herons.
> Our family went kayaking this summer-- we live near some pretty amazing waterways and forests where I live. And during the trip a heron flew back and forth in front of me, just a few feet away. Then an adolescent one let my son, daughter and partner paddle up to it, about six feet away, while it speared and ate a fish. So magical 😍 I'm really into synchronicity and feeling that unspeakable connection we have to all living things.


This one was giving off a vibe of awkward panic rather than majesty. His almost 2 meter wingspan was much too large for the air space. He definitely needed a bigger runway.


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