a bird moment

Today I realized how much my chihuahua sounds like a night heron. I played the squawk and immediately my dog started barking back. I had never heard a night heron’s “voice” before today. I was on the phone earlier with my friend (Saundra) who had told me of her morning walk, having been entertained by a family of night herons, so I looked those up. I used to see blue herons fishing in the river (Little Miami) near where I lived in Cincinnati (Anderson Township). On occasion I might see them here in shallow bank waters when the river is up, but I don’t get out often enough to look for them regularly. Of course, I can appreciate all kinds of birds here from the great buzzards flying overhead, with their huge wingspans and silent air glides to the tiny nuthatches that jump about in the woodpile. We are fortunate to have such beauty around us. The river here does not seem to have as diverse wildlife as what I am used to in Cincinnati, and I am unsure why that is, or if it is or if it is just my perception, so someday I would like to explore the tributaries here a little.  I also used to canoe on the Little Miami occasionally, but don’t know if there is a canoe livery around here. Right now I doubt I could handle canoeing, but I can at least hope to be in better shape by next year, can’t I?