THE BLUES OF FALL

Once again the colors of Fall have descended upon us with those bright reds, brilliant yellows, chartreuse greens, siennas and russet browns. It was the perfect day for zipped up jackets, smart wool socks and a destination. With binoculars and cameras in hand we (hubby and I) walked a field path leading towards a small lake in southern New Jersey. Commenting on the abundance of colorful berries we were unaware of the real treat that was soon to greet us. The Blues of Fall. A flock of Bluebirds, happily feasting upon the berries of a Virginia creeper vine which had woven its way up and around a small hichory tree. What a nice surprise to see these little birds! Having had the pleasure of two bluebirds nesting in our backyard, this past spring, we were accustomed to only seeing a few at a time. I have to say we both were elated to see a flock of blues. They were so busy, flitting from branch to branch, gobbling berries that our presence seemed to be overlooked.

Such vibrant blues. No matter how many times you see a Bluebird fly, it's that striking flash of blue, that always leaves a WOW impression in your mind's eye!
As we approached the lake we were greeted by another Great Blue, the Heron. He was perched high in a tree overlooking the lake. Prehistoric looking but calm in his demeanor. A distinct difference to the behavior of the flock of blue birds, we had just left. He seemed contented to stay where he was and allowed me to take several perched pictures before he stood up.
Maybe he felt he needed a change to his pose...or to impress me with how unbelievably long that wing can extend!!
After showing off that wing he remained only a few seconds more. He slowly tipped to one side, gave a little push, did a little free fall and glided away! Cool! We continued our walk around the lake and as we headed back to the car we both agreed that of all the fall colors we saw today blue was definitely our favorite.