Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Bird's eye view

Although it is herring season, I seem to have found heron season!  On Sunday the weather invited me out to the beach, but I soon found out that a group of real birders had the same idea ~




I furtively took a photo of them and then high-tailed it down the road...just in time to see a Great Blue Heron very slowly lifting his right foot out of the marsh...



On Monday we headed to Victoria for my youngest son's birthday dinner.  A visit to Beacon Hill Park came first though.  A walk up to the viewpoint showed the shimmering Strait of Juan de Fuca, but low cloud obscured the Olympic Mountains in Washington State.


It was such a delight to see daffodils beginning to open and blossoms appearing on the trees.  As usual, I had my eye on the birds, as did a little green person ~


This seagull interacted with a rather long stick ~




 One of the iridescent resident (say that 5 times fast ;) peacocks ~



I wondered if the heronry was back in business!  The Beacon Hill Park Heronry was a thriving location for Great Blue Herons for many years before the birds were sent packing by a few Bald Eagles that terrorized the area.  In recent years some herons have returned and are gradually settling in.   Bare trees made for easy spotting ~  ~ here are a few photos ~


and a closer bird's eye view ~


After that wonderful visit to the park, two of my sons and I headed over to a tea shop for a visit and later on it was time for dinner where we met the rest of the crew.   A lovely day, and were back home by 10:30 p.m.






Posted by Glo at 9:04 PM

24 comments:

  1. elaine March 13, 2014 at 12:23 AM

    Fantastic heron shots Glo (when we were on holiday we saw four together in a reed bed - most unusual). Glad you enjoyed your day.

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    1. GloMarch 14, 2014 at 10:04 AM

      Thanks, Elaine ~ wonderful that you saw herons on your holiday.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousMarch 13, 2014 at 12:55 AM

    The colour of that peacock is amazing. Herons are such fascinating birds especially flying like that. I occasionally see one over the allotments which uses the adjacent ecology park pond.
    Good to see that you had a lovely day. Flighty. xx

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    1. GloMarch 14, 2014 at 10:05 AM

      Thanks Flighty ~ I was happy to get the photos of the herons ~ especially flying so close and overhead. Nice that you see them around the allotment as well.

      Delete
  3. ADRIANMarch 13, 2014 at 1:19 AM

    Grand shots of the Heron.

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    1. GloMarch 14, 2014 at 10:05 AM

      Thanks Adrian ~ I was pleased to find the herons and take photos of them.

      Delete
  4. JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes)March 13, 2014 at 12:36 PM

    Stunning shots of the herons. You are an excellent bird watcher.

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  5. HilaryMarch 13, 2014 at 1:38 PM

    The heron shots are fantastic, Glo. I am smitten with that little green person though. I think perhaps it was an early sighting of the St. Patrick's Day leprechaun.

    You know, you're photos are too lovely to keep in such a small format. They show up much larger in my Feedly reader. I'd love them to get the same room to stretch out on your blog.. everyone should see more of their loveliness.

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    1. GloMarch 14, 2014 at 10:14 AM

      Thanks Hilary ~ Just remembered I saw a rainbow as well while visiting Victoria, so i think you might have the little green person pegged correctly ;) I will post a larger format of my photos ~ although they can be enlarge with a click. Thanks for mentioning this :)

      Delete
  6. Midmarsh JohnMarch 13, 2014 at 3:26 PM

    A grand day out and great shots of the herons.

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    1. GloMarch 14, 2014 at 10:14 AM

      Thanks John ~ glad you enjoyed the photos.

      Delete
  7. greenthumbMarch 13, 2014 at 5:34 PM

    Amazing bird photos.

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  8. AnonymousMarch 17, 2014 at 6:39 AM

    Looked like a gorgeous day to be out birding. And that photo you got of the heron is stunning. The light all around it such a complement to the bird. I also love your in-flight photos. Maybe the Little Green Person is a birder in the making :-)

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    Replies
    1. GloMarch 23, 2014 at 11:03 AM

      Hi Nikki ~ Thanks for your kind comments about my photos ~ I was really excited to see the herons in their park habitat! I think you may be right about that little green person ;)

      Delete
  9. SnowbirdMarch 17, 2014 at 11:39 AM

    Ahh, what a marvelous day out, a birthday and some stunning birds. The heron shots are real stunners, what awesome birds, how elegant they are when gracing your skies....simply wonderful. I'm glad you had such a lovely day and I loved the little green person, that had me smiling.xxx

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    Replies
    1. GloMarch 23, 2014 at 11:04 AM

      Thanks so much Snowbird! Happy to share the herons with you, and couldn't resist taking a photo of the little green person ~ so cute at that age, learning all about the world around them.

      Delete
  10. Lisa March 26, 2014 at 9:43 PM

    Fantastic, congrats on Post of the Week.

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  11. Out on the prairieMarch 27, 2014 at 7:55 AM

    A favorite bird to watch, especially around a rookery like this.

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  12. AnonymousMarch 27, 2014 at 8:10 AM

    Wow - wonderful heron shots.

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  13. Sandi McBrideMarch 27, 2014 at 12:49 PM

    Such beautiful work...altho I am sure you didn't think of it that way...congratulations on Post of the Week
    Sandi

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  14. BimbimbieMarch 28, 2014 at 2:56 AM

    I'm grinning at the "and now for my next trick" seagull - wonder what he was planning to do with that stick.

    and the heron shots ARE spectacular*!*

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  15. SlamdunkMarch 30, 2014 at 7:19 PM

    We could watch the herons all day long. Wonderful shots, and congrats on the post of the week recognition.

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