Porch Chronicles

I love my neighborhood. It feels like a zoo without fences.

Visitors to my yard include: squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, deer, moles, mice, o’possums, raccoons, cats, cardinals, towhees, blue jays, bluebirds, robins, thrashers, hummingbirds, black snakes, garter snakes, morning doves, bats, grackles, herons, crows, foxes, finches, lizards, hawks, owls, bluejays, sparrows, woodpeckers and lots of mockingbirds.

Today I got a great look at a beautiful blue heron being chased by a flock of Grackles, the local hoods. The Heron found a safe perch in the top of the tallest tree on the street right across from my house.

My beautiful, blue friend rested in that treetop for about fifteen minutes, surveying the street below as the local tough guys circled, swooped and squawked in protest.

Suddenly the rising sun caught the Heron’s beak just right, making it glow like 24k gold. What a wonderful surprise.

I’m sure my neighbors wondered what the hell I was doing standing like a statue in my front yard with my iPhone pointed skyward.

I just had to see this elegant creature take wing, and I’m happy to report that I did.