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The river is wide and slow here. A crescent-shaped sandbar bearing marsh grasses divides the oxbow. The water has been high for several weeks now, the island flooded. Geese, ducks, muskrats and others frequent the area. So do hawks and bald eagles.
Today a pair of Great Blue Heron stopped by to visit, and Crystal Dancer had her camera at hand. These are magnificant birds, standing four-feet tall with a six-foot wingspan. Impressive to see in flight or wading the shallows.
The first bird landed up the river a bit and instantly blended into the background. This one landed 25 yards off our deck.
It's crest, hackles and back feathers were all raised upon landing. You can see a bit better in this enlargement ...
After a couple little shimmys to get its feathers in place, the big bird remained motionless for perhaps 10 minutes, then began it's quiet stalk of the shallows.
Twenty minutes later it flew off, huge wings silently creating the necessary lift. Amazing encounter, and props to Crystal Dancer for grabbing the pics!