A Blue Beauty.

Bird Photos from: Flikr.com.

For as long as I can remember I have always loved birds. You can imagine how excited I was then when my hubby and I purchased our home on a bird sanctuary in southern California. Our home is surrounded by several large park areas and three serene lakes that are stocked with fish, turtles, ducks and American Coots. We also get loads of visiting birds such as Canadian geese, grebes, cormorants, and egrets. Although most of the birds that frequent the lakes are migratory, many of them are year round residents. Mixed in with the flocks of wild ducks you will find a handful of tame ducks and geese that call our community home all throughout the year.

Several times a week I grab my binoculars in the early morning hours and head out to my favorite part of the lake where I love to watch the egrets and blue herons fish. They sit there patiently for long periods of time until they are swiftly able to spear a fish. They toss it straight into the air and catch it with their beaks and swallow it down whole. It is really something to see!

The Great Blue Heron has been the most shy of all the birds by far. As soon as they spot you approaching at a distance they usually take flight and fly away to one of the other lakes on the property. It has been hard to examine them closely even through binoculars for this reason. So you can imagine my delight this morning when on my morning stroll when I came across this giant flight feather from a Great Blue Heron! The picture does not do it justice. The color is so icy blue and the detail is just amazing. The next time you visit your neighborhood park or wetland you will want to be sure to scan the shores for one of these most amazing of creatures.

.My Photo.