EARTH JOURNAL
by Gary Pendleton

She preens, then stretches her long neck and lifts her head high, hoping to catch his eye. He sees the graceful movements and gazes down upon her exquisite form. She flexes her long legs while he soars in anticipation. Her long tresses drape that graceful neck and then gently float on the breeze. Yellow is the color of his dagger shaped bill, her lores are green with something akin to desire. He lets loose an amorous yet raucous fraawahnk. It is Valentine’s Day and the herons have returned to the breeding grounds.

In Charles County Maryland, two thousand great blue herons will be returning to the breeding grounds at Nanjemoy Creek in mid-February. One thousand pairs, more or less, of the 4-foot-high wading birds will build nests in the trees bordering the tidal tributary of the Potomac River. It is one of the largest heron breeding grounds, or rookery, in the eastern United States. The sanctuary, which is home to mink, otter and rail birds, is protected by the Nature Conservancy. Public access is limited so the birds won’t be disturbed during the breeding season.

Newly arrived males choose a nest site to defend and put on displays to attract a mate. Females get in on the act as well: they raise their heads high with bills pointed skyward; they stretch their necks while pushing and pulling their heads back and forth. Males soar high in the air while slowly circling their territory.

During the breeding time, spectacular nuptial plumes of feathers grow around the heads and necks of the birds. Other changes occur; brighter and deeper colors appear on the legs, bills and the lores, which is the area around the birds’ eyes. These changes are integral parts of the courtship displays.

I wouldn’t be the first to point out the many similarities between bird behavior and the way humans display and show off in the effort to attract a mate. Cartoonist Gary Larson exploited the humorous congruence of bird and human behavior from time to time in his strip, The Far Side. Larson did it so well that it is pointless to try to match his wit. Hey, your sweetheart might enjoy a laugh this Valentines Day. Here’s a gift idea that can be found at your nearest book store: one of the many anthologies of Larson’s work available in paperback for under $20.00, it could be better than a box of chocolates.

I painted these deer along the Virginia Capitol Trail and became interested in the lore about their meaning. Deer teaches gentleness to touch hearts and minds inviting us to look beyond the material ~  to the heart of things. A new innocence and freshness is being awakened or born. Opportunities to express gentle love which opens new doors of adventure are nearby.

Look for new perceptions and degrees of perceptions to grow and expand. Opening to the qualities of Deer enables us to achieve sophistication, subtlety and elegance. People with strong Deer energy are very alert, graceful and intuitive. Their thoughts may seem to jump ahead to the extent that it may be perceived that they aren’t listening.

Antlers ask you to pay attention to your inner thoughts and perceptions, they are likely more accurate than you think. With Deer as a totem, we find increasing abilities to detect subtle movements. We start to hear what is not being said directly and develop our ability to read between the lines. Pay attention to simple things, clean out useless clutter and noise, and listen to what Deer teaches that is really needed to grow and thrive.

Pictured above: At the Stream, Kindred Gardens canvas edition by Dorothy Fagan

These works or art are part of Dorothy Fagan’s Kindred Gardens on The Williamsburg Land Conservancy. A portion of the proceeds goes to support The Conservancy.

WELLESLEY HILLS AZ Fine Arts Gallery
Selections from Kindred Gardens  Collection by Dorothy Fagan including oil paintings from Haven Beach Preserve, Bethel Beach Preserve and The Great North Woods.