Summer of Cormorants and Green Herons

Summer of cormorants and green herons: 

late spring, just on the verge of summer, with mornings still crisp and the days not yet reaching that point of heat where the local wildlife retreats until only a slight cooler evening - my walks began to focus on my nearby pond, a cormorant was spotted for the first time in memory,. A fascinating bird, almost prehistoric in appearance, and I was drawn to search her out each morning, even a glimpse on a small flowered island was enough to satisfy my fascination with this bird. As well, at least two green herons were now frequently seen, equally curious in appearance as the cormorant, and not birds that were often seen here. My walks now focused on the pond, skirting along the edge, becoming familiar with the habits of my visiting friends. It became the summer of cormorants and green herons, a focal point, and I loved the search almost as much as sighting them. 

as summer eased into fall, the cormorant being first to leave the pond, early on, perhaps heading north for a cooler climate before her eventual winter migration to the south. Soon after and the greens herons were seen less frequently, although their distance cousin, a great blue heron, is still around and makes an occasional appearance. Autumn has now shifted into something other, a new bird has been calling for my attention, drawing me out even earlier than before, hours before even a hint of dawn. My mornings have been spent track owls by sound, following their calls to a particular tree and then basking in the wildness of their company. The summer of cormorants and green herons has become the autumn of barred owls, gaining my attention and changing my habits to suit their nocturnal habits. 

I've read that barred owls are even more active in winter, especially in February and early March as they search for mates and begin to settle into nests for the birth of owlets in later spring. So I have many more months of tracking owls, and then perhaps another summer of cormorants and green herons will begin and then I'll expand my walks for their inclusions once more. Really though, my curiosity knows no bounds, my attention is always drawn towards the wild, even in the midst of a suburban landscape there's a wilderness that calls to me. 

winter is fast approaching, 

 and curious,

I wonder what my walks will then reveal...

and how life will change to suit another calling. 

~

Peace, Eric