“Our task must be to free ourselves…by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”—Albert Einstein
There is nothing more elegant than watching a Great Blue Heron suddenly take off in flight. Cecile and I were taking our usual walk around Rinconada Lake where we live. Pressed for time we decided to take a detour. This turned out to be both a boon and a blessing.
As we pivoted around towards the thick reeds we were both startled by the presence of the heron standing tall. They can be as intimidating as they are fascinating. I took out my i-phone and quickly took a photo and proceeded getting closer.
I say I took a quick shot because experience has taught me if I wait to get too close this majestic creature it could get skittish and fly away. The other thing I learned was to be as prepared as a paparazzi to take sequential photos as they take flight. Most times it requires a combination of luck and opportunity. The clue whether its about to take flight is it begins to slowly stretch its body upward. The inner wings begin to stretch out and the outer wings contort downward at around 90 degrees as seen in the photos.
Then the long yellow legs and feet lift off the muddy waters below the reeds where moments ago it was patiently stalking it prey (little fish) with its' dagger-like beak. Most people think that a herons are just another shorebird, and get lumped in the category of ducks and fish. But, in fact, the heron is an efficient, nasty predator, willing to go after big meals such as snakes, sharks and other birds.
The spiritual meaning of a heron include elegance, patience, wisdom, self-possession, transformation and good fortune. According to North American Native tradition, the Blue Heron flies over you it brings messages of self-determination and self-reliance, and finally, the ability to progress and evolve.
