Thursday, July 12, 2012

Dark Night of the Soul

Here I have arrived at a time of sadness; this is the very last of the beach posts. It has been tremendous fun to recount the shoreline sightings from my June day in Jersey, and a welcome mental respite from my current location, which is in fact cooking me in my own skin (which I guess is better than being cooked in someone else's skin huh?). I saved my favorite bird for last. Even though I saw about ten new birds on the beach, my favorite sighting was of a bird I often see around the riparian preserves in Phoenix, but not like this.


Oh sigh...a Black-crowned Night Heron with breeding plumes out in front of the Atlantic Ocean. It was a beautiful thing. I see these birds almost every time I visit the Gilbert Water Ranch in southeast Phoenix, but there it definitely didn't feel like I was seeing the birds in their proper element, or at least in their most pure element. Crashing ocean waves and a stingy salty breeze? That's as elemental as it gets!

There was a pair of these stocky-but-elegant birds on the Barnegat Bay wharf. While the little shorebirds all scuttled along in an anxious state, these lanky striders made their rounds on the rocks with calmness and dignity. They seemed to be enjoying the the sounds, the sights, and the smells as much as the actual hunt and prospect of getting food. While it was enjoyable to watch them surveying the churning tide with their ruby-red eyes, it was even more interesting to watch them gaze out into the horizon for minutes on end, apparently thinking about very serious things. Heavy sits the crown, as they say.


Every once in a while they'd turn and look right at me. GLARE! Is there just something in human nature that makes us unnerved by red eyes? I mean, they're not too uncommon amongst birds, and the red eyes are one of the Black-crowned Night Heron's best features. Even so, I think I'd rather cuddle with a three-legged Harpy Eagle that hasn't eaten for a month than with this Night Heron.

Look at this picture for a minute and then see if you too think this bird's legs are too far forward on its body. I know, it's just the way it's standing but still...looks funny.

Even as the sun climbed high overhead, the Herons maintained their stoic vigil atop the rocks. They looked so cool and so morose, but when they turned their heads they'd catch the pleasant sea breeze and get a nice fluff. I don't often think of Night Herons having a lion's mane but, well, there it is.


 And sometimes they'd really get fluffed! It's not just the bold red eyes of the Black-crowned Night Heron that are so intriguing; it's that the birds are also shape shifters. I really wish I could do this (whatever is going on in the bottom photo); it looks way more satisfying than a heavy shrug or sigh.


I had to go out to the Atlantic coast to be reminded how awesome Black-crowned Night Herons are, and I'm ashamed to say I might find the more muted Herons in Phoenix to be dull by comparison. At any rate, it was fun to have one of these more common birds still serve as a highlight in my trip. Batman may have based his motif on the Bat, but I'm thinking the Dark Knight had Black-crowned Night Herons as the inspiration for his attitude and style.

10 comments:

  1. Magnificent, to say the very least!! I haven't seen one of these in years!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Karen. I hope you get to see one soon! Thanks for stopping by in the mean time.

      Delete
  2. I was very touched by this beautiful post! I too find Black-crowned Night Herons to be fascinating birds. How surprising to read your description of them along the raging surf of the Atlantic Ocean. I have only seen them near calm waters and ponds. You have captured the allure of these birds with your stunning narrative and fabulous photographs. Outstanding post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks you for your very kind comment Julie. It was truly marvelous to see these birds in a such a different and beautiful setting. The fond memories of that experience will not ever leave me.

      Delete
  3. Laurence, this is a wonderfully descriptive posts. Made me feel I was there. These Herons are fantastic.

    Okay, okay, so I think all birds are fantastic but I really do love Black-crowned Night Herons.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I haven't found a bird species I don't like, but Nigh Herons are really something. Thanks for stopping by Mia.

      Delete
  4. Love this post Laurence! These are great photos of the Night Herons~I rarely see them out in the open here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Tammy. It certainly was an unexpected surprise to see them like this!

      Delete
  5. Incredible Laurence. You did an excellent job capturing the detail of this heron. I know exactly what you mean. In several posts coming up, I finally captured this bird on camera but not like what you have here. They are hiding in the reeds and difficult to capture. Tomorrow I am off to capture a Green Heron....but who knows what will happen! They are so secretive and rarely out in the open. So hats off to you for capturing them with such clarity. Nice.

    I'm working on a couple hummers in the canyons this weekend around Huachuca and Green Valley and going on a report for the Elegant Trogan at Madera. But tomorrow it's the Green Heron and Yellow Billed Cuckoo....which is another tricky bird to capture on film. Hope you have a good weekend. Chris

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheers Chris! Good luck with the Green Heron. They are secretive birds but for some reason they are actually less shy around Phoenix.

      But Yellow-billed Cuckoos and Trogons...well that'll be fun to hear about. Best of luck!

      Delete