Winter’s Gone

Winter may not be your favorite season, but finding a way to enter into it makes it a lot better. Kids love winter. They find ways to play in the snow. Aubrey (the female heron) and her male friend have kept me busy this winter following them as they sat out migration to stay here and live in cold rain, ice and snow. They challenged me to find answers to why they can live with their feet in the cold water of a lake and why they spend so much time fishing.

As for the legs–it turns out they have a separate circulation system in their legs which moves independently from their heart. They are solitary. Herons also nest in trees where they lay their eggs and feel safe. I have only seen this through the lens of the cameras at Cornell Ornithology. Perhaps someday I will see it at Sunset Lake.

The lake is melted and more people are walking their dogs and enjoying spring-like weather. I’m seeing Aubrey less these days and sometimes I’m not sure the one I am looking at is her. The Egrets have arrived and they are more skittish and do not know me yet. But their white plumes are a dramatic contrast to the brown-earth colors and early greening.

What can you learn following one bird daily for 8 months? You can develop a vision that surprises you daily. In winter–wear the warmest coat, scarf, cap and gloves and go out and look around. Name the bird and call it by its name. Soon it will recognize your voice and allow you to get closer. Remember the bird needs to eat often, so never intrude on its fishing.

Aubrey might be right in front of you. Let her come to you. If you can not find her, perhaps she is hiding now in some part of another lake, watching over her eggs or her babies. Maybe she is high in a tree. Life changes all the time.

Turtles are everywhere now. They bathe in the sun and hang out on tree branches and around the edges of the lakes. Summer is almost here. More is happening in the lake, so it is hard to focus on just my birds.