When the Lord God created the world He designed it with oceans, mountains, deserts, forests and everything else that made it a wonderful and beautiful globe. Then in each region He placed birds, animals and other creatures suited to that area’s vegetation and weather conditions. His wisdom becomes evident as we observe how each creature fits into the area where He has placed it.
An example is the great blue heron — a bird that is part of a variety known as waders, making its home in marshes or beside lakes, streams and other watery places. The great blue is the world’s largest heron, standing four feet tall and having a six-foot wingspread. Seeing one standing motionless in the shallow water of a pond with its long, spindly, red legs holding it like a statue, you would probably exclaim, “spectacular!”
Its name comes from the generally bluish-black feathers on its back and wings, but it is hard to make a general description, for its coloring does not set a definite pattern like a flamingo’s does. But each one is beautiful, whatever its color. As examples, one is bluish-black over its back, but has reddish wings and red patches elsewhere. Another is pretty with the top of its head a deep blue, back and wing feathers a somewhat lighter shade, with a rusty-red throat and neck and a pinkish breast and lower body parts.
But the varieties make great blues more interesting and do not affect traits common to them all. These include long spindly legs, long, narrow, flexible necks and strong, sharp-pointed beaks used to catch food, including fish, insects, frogs, mice or other tiny animals. They are very patient when hunting these, standing statue-still in water, with yellow eyes alert for any motion. Then when a fish or other small creature approaches they thrust their strong beaks down quick as a flash and rarely fail to catch it.
It is a treat to see this bird wing its way across the sky. When first taking to the air, its long neck is stretched straight forward, but as it rises high above the ground its neck is gradually drawn back to a graceful, double curve and, with its long legs straight behind it, it makes a wonderful picture.
Herons like living in large colonies high in trees alongside a marsh or stream. One tree may hold a dozen roughly built nests, so loosely woven that their eggs can be seen from below. Both parents provide for the little ones for over two months or more before they mature enough to fly away to make it on their own.
ML-12/03/1989