Playin' Hide-N-Seek with the Heron

The day was cooling off as the evening approached. A little bit of exercise and some fresh air seemed appropriate and so I headed over to one of my favorite spots, the stream in Hampton Township. The sun was getting lower and the sky had a nice shade of blue, the trees were bright green where the sun still lingered.

    Pulling into the road leading down to the creek, I had to slow to a crawl to allow a couple small fawns and their mother to cross the road. The two young deer took one look at my car and jumped into the woods while the doe stood her ground, staring at me, daring me to do anything. I slowly passed, not six feet away and wished her a good night before continuing on. 

    I parked the car and started my stroll down the road. In the distance I could hear someone cutting their grass but other than that, it was quiet. No cars were on the road and soon the lawnmower shut off, all was still.

    I crossed a small rise and saw the cars of a couple fishermen. One could be seen in the creek trying his luck with a fly rod. I moved over to the railroad tracks which parallel the stream, being careful not to kick any stones, attempting to be quiet. I was watching the stream, searching for the heron that frequents the area.

    Taking my time, slowly working my way past bushes, he was nowhere to be seen. I came to a path which leads down to a flat beach and as I started down it, I saw the heron take off, flying upstream. I went down to the creek and looked for him but he had flown out of sight.

    Returning to the tracks, I backtracked a bit and returned to the road. There is a small swamp which often acts as a hide for all sorts of birds, this would be the midpoint of my walk. I could hear bull frogs calling as I neared the overgrown path which leads to its edge. Walking quietly, I kept an eye on the trees growing in the area.

    A huge dead tree sits on the edge of the muddy land encompassing the swamp. There in its branches, I saw the heron. The dim light made his chest, legs and neck look the same as the dead wood of the tree. The camouflage was perfect, if I hadn’t been looking for him, I would have walked right underneath him.

    I raised my camera slowly and he took off, dropping into the tree covering with a few squawks, effectively hiding himself from my lens. He was on his game tonight, or maybe I was just too slow, either way, he had won again!

    The swamp was mostly dry, what was covered with water a few weeks ago was now a thick mud, the water laying further out, barely visible. I stood and listened to the frogs awhile and searched the trees for my feathered friend. No other birds could be seen or heard. I returned to the road and headed back towards the car.

    Nearing my car, I saw another deer. Thinking it might be the doe and her fawns, I prepared the camera to get a picture. When I had a clear shot, I saw that it was a young buck, standing in the shadows of the hillside. He was watching me. A picture wasn’t worth attempting, the best shot was the one I retained in my memory. The two of us stood still, staring at each other, about 30 feet apart. He decided he had enough and turned and leapt off into the darkness.

    I walked over to the car and returned home. It was a great walk. Fresh air, a nice cool time of the evening. I saw four deer, two of which were fairly new to the world. I was serenaded by frogs singing in the swamp. I had watched a fisherman enjoying the pleasures of a quiet stream and got a couple quick views of “my buddy”, the heron. He had bested me tonight...but there is always tomorrow! It was another wonderful summer night in Pennsylvania!