Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Green Heron At Alexander Lake AND Stunning Sunset



 
 
Richard and I saw a bird at Alexander Lake recently that we had never seen before and we were thrilled to see it! (Alexander Lake at Panola Mountain State Park.)  We had no idea what it was, it had a head like a heron but it was much smaller than any heron we had seen before. What was it?  When we came home, we researched it and discovered that it is a Green Heron! 
 
(I found the most interesting story of a couple of birdwatchers who also saw the green heron for the first time and they were so THRILLED to see it and it was just so perfectly well written and I wanted to link to it but alas, now I cannot find it!  So typical of me these days, sorry!)
 
Forgive me if I don't use the correct bird terminology, but the bird will move its neck up in order to look for prey, but the bird can retract it also and it makes it look much smaller. (Can you see the difference in these two photos?)

The Green heron was beside the lake when we first saw it.  It then flew under the boardwalk but then, flew up on the boardwalk where Richard took those few photos.  THEN, a noisy biker came along and the bird flew up into one of the trees.  Richard was able to get a clearer photo of it and it seemed to pose just for him! (The colors of the feathers!  This is a good photo but to SEE the colors...amazing!)
 
The Green Heron is considered a very intelligent bird.  It has learned to drop bits of food or twigs along the shoreline so as to attract fish for its dinner!
I found a video of one doing just that!
 
Clever bird, indeed!
 
If anyone remembers my post about Alexander Lake, this is the very same lake that will most likely be drained. I really hope that does not happen. So much beauty!
 
 
And the sunsets will take your breath away!
 

 
 

 

38 comments:

  1. Your sunset pic is amazing! Frame worthy! I would be sad to see a beautiful lake like that drained....why would they do that? Loved the bird video...too clever! Nice pics of the Green Heron also.

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    1. We went to a meeting about the draining of the lake. Sounded like a lot of BS to me! Oh well, I do hope that somehow the lake (lakes..there is a lower lake too) will be saved.
      That particular sunset was really something, and Richard captured it!

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  2. Beautiful sunset. Of course we have blue herons and snowy egrets where I grew up and I know what it is like to try to catch them in pictures. I hope they preserve that lake. So much wetlands have been lost it can't be wrong to add some somewhere.

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    1. Blue herons and snowy egrets, we have them too and I love them!
      We truly love Alexander Lake, you can see why!

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  3. Herons are great fun to watch and are very intelligent hunters too as you say. I watched one catch a rat and take it into the water and drown it before swallowing it whole.

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    1. That sounds like one of the nature shows where I have to turn away and say, "Richard, tell me what happens, I don't want to see!"
      We see the Great blue heron very often at the lake, but the Green Heron, we had never seen before and we were thrilled!

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  4. I've only seen a green heron once in my life and thought it extraordinarily beautiful! So much rarer than the great blue herons that nest near my home, though I don't want them to be unappreciated. But the colors of the green heron are wonderful! Lucky you! I hope that lovely lake remains undrained.

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    1. And you know, we might not ever see the Green heron again, but that's okay, I am grateful to have seen it at all!
      Fingers crossed for this lovely lake!

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  5. I have never heard of the green heron, but was a beautiful looking bird it is, as well as a clever one! That lake is gorgeous, how awful that there is a plan to drain it. Fingers crossed sanity will prevail!

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    1. Oh how funny, we must be soul sisters! See, how I also said "fingers crossed" in the comment before? :-)

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  6. Hi!

    I am back! Graham is back and the first time he came over for coffee he was presented with my lap top to put right! I make him work for his coffee and biscuit!
    Your pictures of the lake are just beautiful.Surely, the powers that be will see sense and leave the lake alone. I love the picture at the top of your blog. I remember standing in just the same position with my arms outstretched. Life is so unexpected isn't it? Who would have thought that we would have met through Graham's blog and that I am seeing views that are more or less the same after so many years. Keep walking up our mountain. x

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    1. Good job, Graham!
      Nice to see your comment here, Pat! You know I thought of you when I put this photo of myself on top of you know where, Stone Mountain, of course!!! Stone Mountain IS incredible! And guess what, it has become very, very popular now. People must be reading us talking about it, eh?
      And I hope t walk up our mountain this weekend. Stay tuned!
      Hope you are enjoying a lovely August! xx

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  7. Beautiful Heron and sunset! Oh it would be sad to lose the lake. It's so pretty.

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    1. Thanks, Sylvia! Let me know if you are ever in this neck of the woods and we can walk beside the lake!

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  8. There's a lot of difference between those photos. At first it almost looks like a duck, but the second one is with the neck outstretched. I hope the lake isn't drained either. I don't get why you'd do that. It'd destroy a lot of ecosystems.

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    1. If it were up to me, there wound't be any question of the lake being drained. It just wouldn't happen, period ( or full stop as you would say!)
      It was amazing to see the bird move its neck that way!

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    1. I have decided and the world agrees with me. my head is better from the back! :-)

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  10. I'd only seen blue herons before so your green one was my something new for today. I love sunsets and hope your lovely view doesn't disappear any time soon.

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    1. It was new for us too, so I had to share it with you!

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  11. There are no herons in Hawaii, but how beautiful they are.
    Love the lake, too.

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    1. What, no herons in Hawaii? That sounds like a country song! :-)

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  12. The lake, and the herons, are too beautiful to lose!

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    1. I know! I hope the powers that be read my blog!!

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  13. You got some wonderful shots of the green heron. I of course did not know there was such a thing. Fantastic find.

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  14. Thank really is a stunning sunset isn't it!! xx

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    1. It really was a stunning sunset. And honestly, it looked like a painting and I was so very pleased that Richard captured that beauty on his camera.

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  15. We get the green herons here. They roost and next in our trees (and make a great big mess!). They also have a very unique call, which makes it easy to spot them in the trees. I always love seeing them! And you are right, it would be a great shame to drain that beautiful lake! I hope your summer was good!! xoxo Silke

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    1. Hey Silke,
      I see I managed to reply to you below!
      Oh! and I see you left this at 2:21 in the morning! Hope you are okay!!

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  16. Dear Silke,
    Love seeing your comment here! I hope YOU have had a wonderful summer!!
    I can just bet that the green herons could make a mess! And I did hear the green heron on the videos that I watched, but the one that we saw was dead quiet, it was looking for fish on the water's edge! There is Upper Alexander Lake and Lower Alexander Lake. We say drain the lower one if you must, but keep the other one!
    xxx

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  17. Wonderful pictures, as always! I've never seen a green heron myself (not sure if they even exist in Germany), but I do love herons and this one seems to be not only particularly beautiful but also very clever indeed.
    I remember you writing about the lake and the boardwalk before. It really is a wonderful place.

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    1. Welcome back, Meike!
      We were very pleased to see this green heron. Even a very good friend of mine, who spends a lot of time outdoors had never seen one either!
      We love the lake and the boardwalk...we see so much wildlife there!

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  18. These photos are great. I've never seen that bird before.
    Peaceful sunset.

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    1. You should come to Georgia and you will see it! :-) (You might it have in your neck of the woods in the summer, I am not sure.)
      The sunset looked like a painting to me, and Richard captured it!

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  19. Wonderful photos, Kay.

    I'm catching up on a lot of blogs. I've been having problems with my internet connection since Friday (it's now Sunday here)...and they will be ongoing until a technician arrives on Wednesday!!

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    1. I know what computer problems are like...sometimes, I will have a comment all typed and when I hit publish, the computer will go down, frustrating! Good luck with yours! x

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  20. Wow, that sunset is really beautiful! I sure hope they will not drain that lake!
    Such amazing shots of this beautiful bird. Love the video :) So happy you got to see it there.
    Have an amazing week! Lots of hugs,
    Beate

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