Scenes from the Beach | July 3, 2016
Ten great blue herons have assembled at the shore this morning. Seeing so many herons together is an embarrassment of riches, because they are solitary birds. Then I remembered it is nesting season when heron mates return to the barrier islands to hatch eggs and to teach hatchlings to fly. Their nesting behavior sets an example for other species, as well as for humans. Caring parents, they not only protect their eggs fiercely, they turn them over frequently to insure proper growth.
Diary, summer 2016
From the diary of beach walker George Thatcher,
email: fishcrow@aol.com. Collections of Mr. Thatcher’s observations are available from Quail Ridge Press, www.quailridge.com or 800-343-1583.
This story was originally published July 2, 2016 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Scenes from the Beach | July 3, 2016."