Blue heron

Every year we have a nesting pair of blue herons that spend their summers here. It's quite a treat. Why they choose our pond, I don't know, but I'm thankful, and every year, I watch for their return. Just last weekend, a friend of mine, who had spent the night here so we could catch up on our lives, and I were sitting out on the deck with coffee on Sunday morning and watched them flying around, they flew up to the closest tall tree to us, and one of them perched up there, as if to let us see the beauty of that beautiful large bird. He only stayed a moment, but long enough for us to catch a glimse before he was gone. They are very shy birds. I can only get a photo from inside the house. Whenever I try to get a closer look outside, they fly away. But I have seen a young heron flying about, so I know they have their babies here. Anyway, I snapped a picture of one yesterday, and thought I'd share it here. While I was looking through my photos, I thought I'd put a picture on here of a huge flock of canadian geese that walked purposely through the yard this summer too. I'm glad I happened to look out when I did...I have no idea where they came from or what they were doing, they were walking with a purpose, and I counted, there were 24 of them. Adults, and young ones of various ages. Some obviously not old enough to fly, which is why they were all walking I'm sure. Amazing to see TWENTY FOUR of these birds all walking together, in the same direction, in a line like they were!