We have goldfish, so we also have Great Blue Herons. To make a fat story skinny, we have a goldfish pond in the backyard and an infrequent, yet stunning visitor is the Blue Heron. Herons love to eat fish and they have very useful long, long legs to do it with, but those birds like to wade and get a bit upset if they get a bit upset, meaning, if they should happen to fall in. We had one Heron once that stopped to visit, could not see any fish on the surface, so he leaned in closer to investigate, stood on one foot like Herons do, and simply tipped over. I swear I saw a bird walk on water that day.
When he finally got out again, he stood on the shore quivering and shivering, his long neck all twisted up in knots against his body, trying to warm up. (It was October and snowing.) That was in the fall of 2000, he did not come back again until August of 2006. Poor thing, that involuntary swim must have been traumatic for him. As far as I can tell, he never did eat any of the goldfish, because fish are pretty smart. They stick to the bottom like glue with fins whenever danger appears. I should know, since I have seldom laid eyes on any fish since 1999. I know they’re in there though, because they re-appear just like magic whenever I throw in any food.
Herons have wingspans longer than I am tall, and they soar just like hang gliders up there in the sky. But as majestic as they are, they have one really bad habit. They will only eat fish of a certain size, but are not particular about the size of the fish they try to catch. They simply spear a fish with their beaks, and if it’s too big to eat, they toss it on the bank and let it die. Entire fish ponds have been decimated in this way by a single bird in a single day. Human fish keepers need to keep one piece of information handy in their minds: Never buy expensive goldfish to put into a backyard pond. Herons have no qualms about killing your wallet as well as your fish.
Herons have a wide range that they consider home. They winter in the South, but they breed in the North, and in Michigan, rookeries abound. Lucky me, there’s a rookery near where I live. Even though Michiganians do from time to time see the Great Blue Herons, they are still an unusual sight to us Northerners. We are simply not used to seeing wild birds taller than the average four year old child. Meanwhile, in Florida, they are as common as the grass is green.
In a way, I’m glad that I don’t see more of the Herons around here, because I love my goldfish and want to keep them alive, but in another way, it’s pretty cool to get a glimpse of one of those huge birds now and then. I would love to see more of them without having to lose goldfish in the process. So, to the Great Blue Heron I have this to say, “Greetings, stay as long as you like, but keep your beak off my fish or I’ll tie your throat in a knot so you can‘t swallow.”
On second thought, maybe it’s best that I don’t see more of them.
by Kristie Leigh Karns,
http://www.quazen.com/Recreation/Birding/Cover-the-Goldfish-Bowl,-There's-a-Heron-in-the-Window..644
