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.

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