HUNTLEY MEADOWS PARK IN ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA

Last Saturday (September 2nd), we went to Huntley Meadows. We were very surprised when we realized it has been over a year since our last visit.  It seemed a long time but not that long.  With one thing and another, our excursions were not as frequent.  Being back here again felt incredible as it truly is one of our favorite places.  It is a little wilder than our more manicured gardens, which most importantly encourages a lot of wildlife.  Gregg usually carries the camera with the zoom lens as it has grown too heavy for me.  I content myself with my cell phone. I have a nice little strap attached that I put around my wrist.  No dropping my phone into the water while walking on the boardwalk!  I am always impressed with the quality of my phone's photos.  If I need the larger camera, then I just ask Gregg for it.  I am sharing the Green heron we saw today.  It is in the center of my cell phone photo below, a mere speck but it gives you an idea of its surroundings.  The heron was fishing for its supper...

and Gregg caught the heron with its catch. We at first thought it was a small fish, but it turned out to be a tadpole morphing into a frog.

  When we got home that night and looked closer on a larger screen, we could see the upper part of the body with newly formed legs, and the tail was still attached.  

I had sympathy for the frog/part tadpole, but understand that all creatures need to survive and its nature's way.

Green herons are the smallest of the North American herons...

and they are persistent fisherman, being one of only a few bird species observed using tools/bait for hunting.  One researcher reported watching a heron drop the same bait into the water more than 28 times before a fish finally bit.

Although Green herons are considered to be widespread and common, their shy nature combined with their well camouflaged exterior and odd feeding times, makes them hard to spot.

It sounds like we were very lucky to come across our friend here.

Some Green herons migrate, and some don't. They are year-round residents in most of the southern coastal parts of their range. Other birds migrate from their nesting grounds in the north a short distance south for the winter. They are considered to be mid-distance migrants.

It has had some interesting colloquial names, including Fly-up-the-creek, Poke, Chalkline, Indian Hen, and Chucklehead.  I think I have heard "Chucklehead" before somewhere.

Onto the next catch!

You can read more information about this bird here.

We didn't see a lot of birds on our visit.  This one was the closest but we did see swallows flying above us.  There were also several birders along our walk, looking up into the trees with binoculars.  One group was very interested in a Red-bellied woodpecker, but it was so high in the treetops that we could barely make it out.  We also saw a couple of Egrets and one Grey blue heron, a pair of snapping turtles that looked huge, the biggest we had ever laid our eyes on.  But they were at such a great distance it was impossible to get a decent photo and was a blur.  We only found out that they were snappers when we saw them on a larger screen that evening and could just about make out what they were.

It depends on the time of the year when we visit.  On each one there is always something fascinating to see.  Huntley Meadows becomes very busy during migration with several species of ducks for instance.  We saw no Red-winged blackbirds today, and no Canada Goose.  However, there were a lot of things that took our interest.  We didn't make it to the second pond we usually go to, but there will be next time and hopefully it won't be as long between visits.  

More photos to follow.