...at a small pond, Umpqua National Forest, Oregon, U.S.A.:
September 15, 2016
 |
| Autumn meadowhawks (dragonflies) flying in tandem |
Fall is in the air.
The scuzz is gone from the pond and at midday shadows are fairly
long. The coolness of the night still
hangs in the air. Sunny spots are
pleasantly warm. Beautiful blue sky and
a peaceful stillness. Dragonflies hover
over the pond surface. Both autumn
meadowhawks and California spreadwings fly in tandem. No sign of the regular summer dragonflies,
i.e. chalk-fronted corporals, white-faces, widow skimmers or baskettails. We settle in for lunch before getting started
on serious bugging. Slam, bang! I slam one car door after another -- stow
cameras on the back seat; get lunch out of the back; spread it out on the dash
and our laps. It is ham sandwiches
today, along with lots of veggies (green beans, lemon cucumbers, purple bell
pepper, carrots and tomatoes), guacamole, a few chips, and Dale has
pickle. Cheese too if we want it.
We are finally quiet. Dale parked in the shade and where we
can see half the pond. A great blue
heron flies to a floating log across from us.
He looks about for a moment, preens a couple of feathers and then
relaxes his wings down and out. At first
he turns his back to the sun. Usually I
see herons sunning with their breast to the sun. I suspect that is coming soon. He has probably been fishing and is wet. The heron is just a little far from us for me
to tell how wet his is.
We munch away. Sure
enough. The heron turns to face the
sun. Pretty sitting here enjoying the
coolness of the shade, watching dragonflies, and watching the heron dry off.
The heron log floats right in front of a dense edging of cattails. The patch of cattails is about 30 feet deep
along that part of the pond. The cattails
barely move in the quiet air, but then I notice a small patch cattails is being
thrashed about. The heron notices too.
He pulls his wings in and cranes his neck. I've got a suspicion of what is hidden in the
long fronds, but I'll have to see it to be sure.
The disturbance amongst the fronds works its way from the
far side towards us, and is angling towards the heron. The heron pops into the air, but swings
around and lands on the log again, but ever so alert. Now he is peering around looking at a little
spot of open water behind him. Off goes
the heron and Dale sees a peek of the intruder, an otter.
By now we are just finishing lunch. Dale quietly retrieves his camera and walks a
little closer to the cattail patch. The
otter comes out and dives a couple of times, but he is a shy fellow. He heads to the far end of the pond.
I'm curious what the great blue heron is doing. To find him I walk the edge of the pond,
looking back and to my right. There he
is -- belly deep in water. Hummmm? This doesn't look like an efficient way to fish. Is he taking a bath? I've only seen a heron bath once. I caught sight of one doing a great splash
right at the edge of some cattails. When
an eagle baths, he wades belly deep into water and thrashes about, slopping
water all over with his great wings.
That is what that heron appeared to be doing.
Could it possibly be that today's heron is bathing? I know this pond well. If I duck into the
path to my right I can get much closer to the heron without him seeing me. I quickly trot along the trail. I get to my spot and peer between cattail
fronds, just in time to see one last dunk.
It definitely wasn't a clumsy fishing dunk, but rather, a get-really-wet
dunk. Now I wish I had stayed in the
farther away spot. I would have seen
more of the bath, even it was farther away.
I realize my heron is standing on a submerged log. He walks the log until he is only ankle deep. There he stands. Drenched.
Time to shake the wetness from his feathers, preen a little, droop those
wings a little and even grab a quick nibble on the fly. Twice I see him grab a darner (a large
dragonfly) in midair.
The heron's log will soon be in shade. No matter.
He continues walking the log until he is out of the water. He soon flies to the original log, the one we
watched during lunch. That log is still
in full sun. If I may say so, the heron
looks rather undignified standing there with droopy wings. It takes a while to dry so I have a nice
opportunity to sketch.
The log is serving dual duty. It's a good place to dry and it's a good
fishing spot -- and a good perch for catching dragonflies. Little fish have started jumping. I think they are trying to catch
mayflies. One after another jumps out of
the water. Suddenly the heron fixes his attention on the water near him. He crouches low to the log and out zips his
neck. Good catch. A little fish goes down his gullet ... and
soon another. I half hope he'll fall in
so I can watch the drying process all over again. I have seen a heron splash into deep water
after a fish, but not this time.
Shadows grow long early at this time of year. Even though sunset is about three hours off,
the pond has lost nearly all its sunshine.
Time for us to head home. I know
of at least one great blue heron that will sleep clean and well fed.
