Heron pool

Last night I was tired and the house was cold from having been unoccupied for five days, so I went to bed earlier than usual. The consequence was waking earlier, when it was still dark. Did a bit of looking at blip journals, before heading out on a run as the sun was lightening the sky preparatory to emerging above the horizon.

This week, the tide is high enough that the water birds are close to the bank above the sand. At the southern end of the beach was the solitary heron I often see there, amongst the ducks which seem to congregate in this area, where the weed is deeper and muckier. Further along, there were always at least two herons in any one place.

I watched, fascinated, as the herons appeared to be chasing away all other birds except the ducks. Gulls squawked and flew around, as they always do, and so may not have been being scared off. However, I noted that the stilts were definitely subject to being run at by one or more herons.

This particular pool was a case in point. When I first stopped to look, there were a number of other birds. By the time these last three were flying in every other species had left the pool to this rather aggressive group of 12 herons. The stillness of the water provides for great reflections of the birds, and the colours of the sky are also reflected there, while the deeper water has the soft morning blue/grey I like.

Back to the beach house, and a breakfast of muesli, fruit and yoghurt with lashings of coffee, and an attack on Kropotkin. Yet to be completed, although I do feel satisfied with progress.