"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

http://stanleyparkecology.ca/conservation/urban-wildlife/herons/

more shots of the coloney can be found at

http://www.greatervancouverparks.com/StanleyHeronColony01.html

"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

Sandra Thomas

Read more: http://www.vancourier.com/news/Killarney+pitches+call+action/7870838/story.html#ixzz2PhyymAZ5

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