Wednesday, April 10, 2013


"So heavy
is the long-necked, long-bodied heron,
always it is a surprise
when her smoke-colored wings

open
and she turns
from the thick water,
from the black sticks

of the summer pond,
and slowly
rises into the air
and is gone."

from Heron Rises From The Dark, Summer Pond
Mary Oliver

I was of course fascinated by the Great Blue Heron
Rookery by the entrance to the park, it is not in an
isloated location but actually quite close to a number
of buildings, tennis courts and lawn bowling greens.
This means the birds can be found through out the park
for any interested birders or photographers to enjoy.

"Stanley Park is home to one of the largest urban
great blue heron (Ardea herodias fannini)
colonies in North America. They have been
nesting at their current location since 2001
and have been documented nesting in various other
locations in Stanley Park as far back as 1921.
Today, sightings of these majestic birds in and
around the park are common place"

from the Stanley Park Ecology Society

more shots of the coloney can be found at


"According to the Stanley Park Ecology Society in 2012,
117 great blue heron nests were counted in Stanley Park, of which
86 were occupied by breeding pairs."

Central Park: Herons return to Stanley Park colony
The Vancouver Courier
March 21, 2013












The very first time I saw Spotted Towhee, was I believe in the
yard of our friends Bud and Jo, I was ecstatic it was scuffing
around in the leaf litter exactly as advertised.


"When God looked down upon His land
He saw the lakes and trees.
He said I've made my peace
but next time I'd do it differently."
from Second Son
as performed by Jim Cuddy

2 comments:

WildBill said...

A great post; rich with words and photographs. The 2nd to last great blue heron photo is terrific. Also, I love almost all of the poetry of Mary Oliver!

Guy said...

Thanks Bill

I love Mary Oliver's poems as well and I find she has often captured a scene or image I have been trying to describe.

Regards
Guy