I walk along the C&O Canal about twice a week. I get there early in the morning (about 6.30 a.m.) because that is when all the bird life, fish and deer are most active and you can get some good shots of the dawn.
Going early helps me avoid all those loud-mouthed male joggers in radically inappropriate shorts with ear muffs and long black socks; middle-aged ladies of all nationalities chatting loudly with iPod earplugs stuffed in their ears; and dog owners with ill-behaved dogs which go ape when they sight wildlife. Sadly, I could not avoid the human race this morning. It was a tragedy because there was such a profusion of bird life that I thought I might be on a PBS “Nature” Special.
On a normal morning, I will usually see two or three Great Blue Heron on my 4-mile round trip. Sometimes a few more, sometimes none. For some reason, you see more in winter than in summer. If it is just you early in the morning, most of them stand their ground (they must be from Florida) and ignore you. This morning, however, I had hardly got onto the Canal when two big herons flew over me and gracefully landed on the bank. They stayed there as I walked by, completely unconcerned.
As I proceeded along the Canal, I began to see more big heron--on the water, along the banks, out on the little islands in the wide water section of the Canal and jetting along in pairs just above the Canal. At one of the locks, there were about six of them having a major fight near the water. What? I had never seen anything like this before. There were just too many herons.
I was counting, as I always do, and was up to 22 before I got to the first mile marker. I counted up to 34 (yes, 34!) and then gave up counting. They were everywhere. What on earth was going on with the herons?
It was March 31. For a moment I thought I had got the date mixed up and that this was really April Fool’s Day or a special Candid Camera stunt. But no, it was definitely March 31. I continued onwards but was really puzzled by this mysterious assembly of Great Blue Heron.
Now, the real story is not the Great Blue Heron (although they were pretty fantastic) but my pathetic attempts to photograph this huge assemblage of herons. Every time I got close enough to get a shot, some galumphing jogger or a gaggle of them would come pounding along and send the poor birds into frenzied flight. If it was not joggers it was dogs; and if it was not dogs it was their owners shouting at them not to get too far ahead. It was a freekin zoo out there and I was getting really mad not to be able to get some award-winning shots of all these gorgeous herons. I am only including a few shots in this blog--not because I am proud of them--but just to show there there were really herons around.
Of course, I later realized that it was all to do with sex. No, no, not the joggers, iPod ladies or dog owners. The herons. This must have been some huge mating ritual. That’s what that fight was all about. That’s why they were flying in pairs. That’s why they were skittish and a bit testy with all these humans thundering along the towpath and getting in the way. And, of course, being difficult on purpose to make the guy with the Panasonic Lumix with no telephoto a hard time!
When I got home, I went to The Google and punched in "C&O Canal birds” and came across the website for the Audubon Society for the District of Columbia. I found out that they do a bird count every year for the whole 184.5 miles of the Canal. Have a look at: http://audubondc.org/co-canal-count/ and you will get all the details. I was most surprised to see that in 2014 on the day that they did their “Canal count” they had only seen 38 Great Blue Heron (as opposed to 47 in 2013) along the whole length of the Canal.
Had I been hallucinating or something? I had counted 34 Great Blue Heron in just 4 miles between Angler’s Inn and the Great Falls turn-off!! Actually, that is not quite accurate--I gave up counting after 34. Now I could kick myself for not doing it more scientifically and blowing the Audobon Society out of the water. Never mind, I am going to write to them and tell them what I saw and find out whether I am completely mad or not.
And just in case, you think that the above photos are really lousy (which they are), here are a few I have taken when there were no joggers, dogs or iPod ladies about.
Going early helps me avoid all those loud-mouthed male joggers in radically inappropriate shorts with ear muffs and long black socks; middle-aged ladies of all nationalities chatting loudly with iPod earplugs stuffed in their ears; and dog owners with ill-behaved dogs which go ape when they sight wildlife. Sadly, I could not avoid the human race this morning. It was a tragedy because there was such a profusion of bird life that I thought I might be on a PBS “Nature” Special.
On a normal morning, I will usually see two or three Great Blue Heron on my 4-mile round trip. Sometimes a few more, sometimes none. For some reason, you see more in winter than in summer. If it is just you early in the morning, most of them stand their ground (they must be from Florida) and ignore you. This morning, however, I had hardly got onto the Canal when two big herons flew over me and gracefully landed on the bank. They stayed there as I walked by, completely unconcerned.
As I proceeded along the Canal, I began to see more big heron--on the water, along the banks, out on the little islands in the wide water section of the Canal and jetting along in pairs just above the Canal. At one of the locks, there were about six of them having a major fight near the water. What? I had never seen anything like this before. There were just too many herons.
I was counting, as I always do, and was up to 22 before I got to the first mile marker. I counted up to 34 (yes, 34!) and then gave up counting. They were everywhere. What on earth was going on with the herons?
It was March 31. For a moment I thought I had got the date mixed up and that this was really April Fool’s Day or a special Candid Camera stunt. But no, it was definitely March 31. I continued onwards but was really puzzled by this mysterious assembly of Great Blue Heron.
Now, the real story is not the Great Blue Heron (although they were pretty fantastic) but my pathetic attempts to photograph this huge assemblage of herons. Every time I got close enough to get a shot, some galumphing jogger or a gaggle of them would come pounding along and send the poor birds into frenzied flight. If it was not joggers it was dogs; and if it was not dogs it was their owners shouting at them not to get too far ahead. It was a freekin zoo out there and I was getting really mad not to be able to get some award-winning shots of all these gorgeous herons. I am only including a few shots in this blog--not because I am proud of them--but just to show there there were really herons around.
Of course, I later realized that it was all to do with sex. No, no, not the joggers, iPod ladies or dog owners. The herons. This must have been some huge mating ritual. That’s what that fight was all about. That’s why they were flying in pairs. That’s why they were skittish and a bit testy with all these humans thundering along the towpath and getting in the way. And, of course, being difficult on purpose to make the guy with the Panasonic Lumix with no telephoto a hard time!
When I got home, I went to The Google and punched in "C&O Canal birds” and came across the website for the Audubon Society for the District of Columbia. I found out that they do a bird count every year for the whole 184.5 miles of the Canal. Have a look at: http://audubondc.org/co-canal-count/ and you will get all the details. I was most surprised to see that in 2014 on the day that they did their “Canal count” they had only seen 38 Great Blue Heron (as opposed to 47 in 2013) along the whole length of the Canal.
Had I been hallucinating or something? I had counted 34 Great Blue Heron in just 4 miles between Angler’s Inn and the Great Falls turn-off!! Actually, that is not quite accurate--I gave up counting after 34. Now I could kick myself for not doing it more scientifically and blowing the Audobon Society out of the water. Never mind, I am going to write to them and tell them what I saw and find out whether I am completely mad or not.
And just in case, you think that the above photos are really lousy (which they are), here are a few I have taken when there were no joggers, dogs or iPod ladies about.
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