Happy New Year- 2020 and the Year of the Heron

Heron Mates

Amazing that we are in the year of 2020. Life seems to go really quickly and then really slowly. They are so many moments of importance in the blink of an eye. I am sitting outside on this gorgeous winter day in Sarasota.The weather is in the 70's, sunny and bright. I am listening to the sounds of a Great Blue heron couple that has mated in the pine tree outside of my villa. They came together on 12.16.19 and they have been inhabiting one of the mid level branches since then.

They built a nest using pine tree branches by passing the sticks from beak to beak. Each day they add to it. When they are together, they make these clicking and guttural sounds to communicate their love  connection. They are frequently moving the eggs around  in the nest so that the embryos do not stick to the egg shell. They sit on the net about 20% of the time . Usually, they are standing near the nest guarding it. I am allowed to sit under the tree and write this. I feel very privileged that I can look up into the tree day or night and see one or more heron parents.
The incubation period is about 25-30 days  so I have  relative quiet until third week in January. When I am up close like this, I realize how big and fierce this birds are. They have a wing span of 4.5 to 5.5 feet and they are 3.5-4.5  feet tall. They are magnificent birds. The coloration changes on them from bird to bird.

There is something so comforting about having them nest so visually close. I believe that they usually nest in colonies so this is  an unusual location. I do live on a pond where there are plenty of fish for feeding themselves and their babies. Heron totem is about following your dreams and letting your inner knowing be your guide. Just as I am writing this, they have mated again. It is so very quick with the male above the  female heron. It is quiet with only the rustling of their wings to note the event.
They mate several times during the incubation in order for the eggs  to hatch at delayed times.

Have a wonderful 2020 and more to come.......