War of the Wills

Michelle Alton

This week, I'm featuring one of my personal tales, in the hopes of sparking some of you to submit one of your stories of Relentless Pursuit.  I'm down to a few I.O.U.s at the moment!

This narrative characterizes a showdown I had with a Great Blue Heron with insatiable appetites.  It took place one bleak November morning at my home in Yardley, Pennsylvania.  I swear to you that every word is true—you just can’t make up a tale like this.  Three of the photos were shot as this story unfolded; the others are images that I’ve made of herons previously that work really well to illustrate the text.  The showdown had a happy ending, and it will take but a few minutes of your time to get to the bottom of it!   Oh…I did not get a shot of the best scene in the story, so I’m inviting artistic readers to sketch the final confrontation between the big bird and me at the top of the driveway.  I’ll post your submissions with all proper attribution.  Should be a lot of fun.

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Thanks so much for visiting "Tales of Relentless Pursuit." If you have a free moment or two, please check out my Photography Website, Your Best Shot, and sign up for the mailing list! And also consider sending the link to this blog to your circle of friends and family.

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Michelle Alton
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War of the Wills
(Click on photos to enlarge them)

I am sick, no question about it.  I coughed hard all night and my chest feels tight, my temples are throbbing with pain, and I am shaking with chills, and sweating. You know the feeling.  It’s a day to stay home, drink chicken soup, and watch old movies with a soft blanket to cuddle.

But not for me today.  At work things are at a critical juncture  and I cannot afford to miss a day.  So I’ve pulled myself out of bed, popped a couple of extra strength Tylenol, and stood in a hot shower for as long as I could.  Finally dressed and bundled for the cold November day, I’m slowly taking the car down the winding driveway and preparing for the hour’s drive to work.

As I near the road, the pond comes up on my right, I think I see some movement near the water’s edge and stop and stare hard at the spot that has caught my eye.  Yes!  It’s that bastard of a Great Blue Heron, having the feast of his life!  He must’ve found a conclave of dormant carp resting in the muddy bank, and as I sit here watching in fascination, his head appears with an orange fish tweezed in his bill, and then he gulps it down.

Orange Carp Tweezed in his Bill

Down the Hatch!

I’m mesmerized as I watch his head bob up and down--each time gulping down a plump new fish.   But  now I’m gripped by anger.  He’s eaten enough to last the entire winter and perhaps ALL the fish are gone. Ane he still wants MORE!

...and yet Another and Another!

Despite my pain and fever, I’m jumping out of the car, running toward the heron, arms flailing, and making loud hissing noises.   He gives me a long glance of disgust, turns on his heels, and takes a low-altitude flight across to the far end of the pond.

Short, low Altitude Flight

Not good enough, but at least I’ve put a temporary end to his feeding frenzy.  I feel exhausted and climb back into the car.  When I reach the bottom of the driveway, I turn right onto the road, taking it slowly so I can see what GBH is up to now!   Are my eyes deceiving me?

Omigosh!!! With his belly veritably bulging with fresh fish, he has quickly dipped his bill into the mud on the opposite bank and now dangling from its end is a gigantic frog.   Oh GEE!  There will be nothing left alive in the pond by morning’s end, but I have one more trick in my bag.  I get out of the car quietly to try to get a shot of him with his unfortunate bull frog meal.  It’s early morning and day has only just broken, and the huge sycamores are shading the scene to dappled darkness.  All I have with me is my little G9 camera that doesn’t do well for me in low light, but it’s what I have, so I start shooting away.

GBH is immediately spooked; without letting go of the now limp frog, he rises straight up from the edge of the pond and takes off up the hill disappearing over the roof of our house. 

I return to the car.  To my utter dismay, the door has slammed  shut, the key is in the ignition, and the engine  is running -- of course.   I utter a few choice words under my weak breath, sputter a curse [*!G*B*H@%! Grunt] at the now vanished heron, and start the long trudge up the driveway to retrieve the other set of car keys from the house.  Wow…am I tired out!   This respiratory infection has sapped my strength, and I’m feeling even more ill than when I set out this morning.  This hill never seemed this steep before.  With almost no breath left for this exercise, I’m walking slowly up the hill, watching my feet, one after the other…left…right…left … right…stop take a rest…left … right… 

After what seems like my “life’s agonizing journey” I’ve reached the top of the driveway.  Whew!  But now as I look down at my own feet to sort of visually coax one in front of the other, my eyes  fix on another pair of feet….ugly, spindly black heron feet, facing me on the pavement.  Slowly my eyes scan up the legs to see the GBH standing there waiting for me, not four feet away, hackles hunched up in a crouch of war, eyes beady and fixed, poor old pale limp frog still dangling from his bill. 

Painting by Don Moore, Killeen, Texas
http://www.donmooreillustrator.com/index2.htm

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Still looking for another take on this scene! I’d

 love to post your illustrations here with proper

 attribution, of course.

Email your sketches to me along with your name and the town and state/country where you live.

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Fear fills my soul.  I have camera in hand, but have no idea what to do with it; but as I bring it to my eye, I’m certain I see the GBH lifting one foot to his beak as if to  “thumb his nose” at me.     (Do herons have thumbs?)  Exhausted and throbbing with pain and fever, the humor of the whole situation settles into my numb head and suddenly I burst into laughter as the old Blue spreads his wings, thrusts himself off the pavement, and rises again, over the roof.  I can still see his eerie form disappearing over the horizon, frog leg silhouettes dangling between his outstretched legs.

Up, Up, and Away (Imagine there is a frog still dangling)

Car key retrieved, I start to feel exhilarated as I make my way back down the hill, find the running car still there, and finally get us back on the road to work.  I’m already thinking about what a great story I'll be able to tell at lunch today!

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  All photography by Michelle Alton

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What do you think of the "Relentless Pursuit" series. Please leave a comment below or email me with your suggestions on what you'd like to see on this blog.


*** I Need Your Story! ***   { Not Kidding!}

If you have a story to post on this theme, contact me. We have Zero stories on tap and I shall have to  again resort to posting my own work! Please consider sharing your tales of Relentless Pursuit! And be sure to take a look at my Photography site. I'd love to hear from you!--
Michelle Alton

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Bonus Shots

Juvenile Black Capped Night Heron (Long Beach, NY)

Having a Scratch (Delaware/Raritan Canal, Yardley, PA)

A Hard Lump to Swallow (Delaware/Raritan Canal, Yardley, PA)

Heron on Ice (Our pond in Yardley)

Rooftop Overlooking the Delaware River (New Hope, PA)

Above the Pond in a Sycamore Tree

The "Runway" (Our driveway in Yardley)

Hard to Swallow This Way

Little Green Heron (Delaware/Raritan Canal, Yardley, PA)

Little Green Heron (Delaware/Raritan Canal, Yardley, PA)

So Pretty (Delaware River, Morrisville, PA Levee)

Herons in Flight (Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, Philadelphia, PA)

From the Levee (Morrisville, PA)

On the Hunt (Peace Valley Park, Doylestown, PA)

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