I went out to Huntley Meadows one afternoon recently for a long walk. Heading out on the boardwalk over the wetlands I paused to watch this Heron who was fishing for a meal. I waited for a couple of minutes, he moved forward very carefully, slowly lifting a leg out of the water, carefully slipping the foot into the water ahead of him, without a ripple. I took a couple of photos and moved on. I walked out to the far end of the boardwalk and back, probably half-a-mile of walking, and the Heron was still there. Maybe 10 feet farther into the marsh, still fishing, still as quiet as a stone.
This encounter got me to thinking about patience. Certainly the Heron is patient, slowly and deliberately waiting for the fresh catch of the day. He waits for the prey to come to him, rather than trying to outrun it. The bird exhibits incredible patience. And in the end it pays off with a good birdy life.
I don't, I watch for a minute or so and if nothing is happening I move on. My brain thinks there is nothing to see here, nothing has happened, so nothing is going to happen, let's go in search of something worth seeing. And I move on. I am often a couple of steps ahead of the action happening behind me, or far ahead of me.
There is a Facebook Page for Huntley Meadows, and photographers post amazing photos of Herons moments after they catch a fish. The payoff for the long wait. I envy those photos, and it would be easy to think, the photographer has a better camera or a longer lens, and that may be true, though this one was not that far away. What those photographers have that I lack, is patience. They stand there quietly as long as it takes, minutes, hours, days. They are there today, tomorrow, and next week if that is what it takes to be there at the the moment the magic happens.
I should learn from the Heron, just as the bird waits for the right moment, so should I.
It looks like a great park. I would do the same as you. Nothing happening here, move on.
ReplyDeleteI keep thinking I will take the long lens and sit along the river, waiting for the summer runners to go by.
DeleteBirding (birdwatching) helped us with patience. Unfortunately, we maintained our patience only for the birds.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I will slow down when I get old, but I doubt it.
DeleteI used to love watching the herons where I lived. They're patients and their Stillness and movement always amazes me. As far as my patience I'm generally pretty good except for when it comes sitting in traffic.
ReplyDeleteThe longer I live here, the less traffic bothers me.
DeleteWe could all do with more patience in our lives.
ReplyDeleteWill it develop in time?
DeleteI think there's always something to see, but sometimes we're just rushing along or staring down at a phone and we never notice.
ReplyDeleteYears back, living in California, I was walking along Bodega Head and came upon a Great Blue Heron in the meadow about ten feet from me. We stared at one another for a moment and then he flapped his wings and simply lifted off the ground and flew further way. Gorgeous graceful creatures.
When I was in Florida waiting for mom to die, I spent an hour with a field of Sandhill Cranes.
DeleteI think we could all use a bit more patience in our lives. The modern world just seems to encourage us to keep moving. Wildlife photographers must have an abundance of patience.
ReplyDeleteWe have more time, time to cultivate stillness.
DeleteBirds are marvelous creatures! 🐓🦃🦤🦚🦜🦢🦩🦆🐦⬛🦅
ReplyDeleteThe Penguins silently wait, plotting their takeover
DeleteYou are imagining that the heron is patient. Maybe it moved and that was a different heron you saw. Or maybe it moved and came back to that spot. Or maybe it knows the time the fish will show up. Or maybe it is just slow and lazy. So it might not be patient at all - just smart or conditioned or lucky or tired.
ReplyDeleteMany ways to observe the wise birds.
DeleteA pair of eagles live in a nearby park and the people who photograph them watch and wait for them for hours on end. They photograph the eagles in flight, in their nest with their eaglets (who are about ready to fledge), catching fish and other animals in the river. I admire them for their patience and appreciate them for sharing their photos.
ReplyDeletein 2020 and 2021 when I was walking at Dyke Marsh (aka the swamp) I saw eagles often. I have a few good photos, I would have more if waited more patiently.
DeletePatience is a virtue. Who said that, I wonder. Maybe the Buddha. Maybe not. But it is a maxim for life.
ReplyDeleteWhere is Bartlet's when we need it.
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