Their call sounds like a cross between a disgruntled old man, a duck and a bullfrog. You can't miss it. I think this one was being territorial rather than just randomly flying hither and yon and pretty close to us. I can't say for sure but I do know they're belligerent birds. Anything with a wingspan approaching 6' is a force to be reckoned with. I'm pretty sure they know that.
Either way it was loud and in our faces. What was funny was my dog's reaction. He stopped in his tracks and looked at me with a definite quizzical expression on his face. He's never been that close to a heron before, and he was looking for answers.
I've never seen that exact expression before, and he kept looking at me, which is unusual for a walk. He lives to go for walks and he's in his element. Most of the time when we go for walks, I'm just dead weight on the other end of the leash...something that's keeping him from running off and exploring every nook and cranny on planet Earth.
I talk to him and sort of narrate things, and every once in a while he'll remember I'm there. He'll wag his tail and I'm pretty sure he's thinking: "Oh yeah...you. Hey man!" Then he goes back to sniffing and adventuring. Beagles are a life-support system for a nose.
But he kept looking at me for a long time. I had to laugh but I wished I could've explained it to him. I knew he wouldn't understand but I told him anyway that it was a heron. "It's a loud, big-ass bird" I said. "It's okay dude. Let's go." We finished our walk. He keeps his nose to the ground and I keep my eyes to the sky. I didn't see any meteors or Saucers or anything, but the sky was clear and beautiful. Did I say a quick prayer of thanks? Yes I did.
I was thankful for where I was and that my best bud was with me. I was thankful for the air and the sky and the stars. I was thankful for the heron encounter. The look on my dog's face was priceless.
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