The Heron and the Goose

This morning as I was sitting in my vehicle before going into work, I witnessed an amusing natural vignette that took place in the pond beside the parking lot. A Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) was briskly making his way long the water's edge searching for his morning meal. He caught my attention because he was moving at a much faster pace than is normal for this species. He must have really been famished! As he was strolling along, a Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) swam quickly up behind him minding his own business and occasionally grabing a tasty morsel from the water's surface.

Suddenly, the heron realized he was not alone and quickly twisted his long, sinuous neck around to get a look at this invader of his personal space. The goose abruptly came to a complete stop and both birds stared at each other for a few seconds. The heron, with his speak-like beak, looked as if he was eyeing the goose hard and telling him in no uncertain terms to back off. The goose lowered his neck slightly and looked as if he wanted to sink below the surface of the water and hide from the menacing stare. After a few short moments, the heron resumed his stride up the pond on his non-stop search for a fish or frog. The goose remained where he had stopped and just seemed to ponder on what had just happened. I really enjoyed watching the interaction!

Another scenario that was happening at the same time involved the people arriving to work. The parking lot was busy with people parking cars and scurrying from there to work. They didn't even notice the mini drama taking place right in front of their eyes! It took place right out in the open unlike most natural scenes and the people didn't even take time to notice because they were so wrapped up within their own small world. What a shame! Perhaps if people paid more attention to their surroundings, they would find that the world isn't so hurry-scurry all the time.

Until next time, take a moment to see the world around you!