I had seen them in Florida in plenty, but the concept of an exotic bird in Hacketts-town, New Jersey was mind blowing.
Yet there it was, standing on a rock in a stream at Stephens State Park. It was completely motionless, its long neck not moving a muscle. A large bird, at least three feet tall. Its coloring was a deep blue-grey.
I spotted it while crossing a bridge in the park. I got out of the car and watched for many minutes, photographing the bird. I have photos of similar birds at Centenial Park in Sarasota. And the ones there moved in the shallow water. But this one did not move. Suddenly, its head turned ever so slightly, and it remained still for several more moments. I thought my eyes deceived me, that someone had actually placed a statue there.
As I exited the bridge, I found a truck with a couple of park rangers. Yes, the bird was real. It was a blue heron. It was feeding; waiting in absolute stillness until an unlucky member of the newly-stocked trout population passed by.
A little research revealed the blue heron is not just a tropical bird but is found throughout most of North America, including Alaska. Birds east of the Rockies in the northern part of their range genrally migrate and winter in Central and South America. But in the warmer climates such as Florida and Southern California, they live year round.
They can be found always close to bodies of water, both salt and fresh, usually nesting in trees or bushes.
I had visited Stephens State Park for nearly four decades. The stream that runs through it bubbles with a peace-inducing noise that if Thoreau ever found, he would have stayed there and never found time to write. Yet all the wildlife I had ever seen there – deer, bear, chipmunks, robins, bluejays. etc. was what one would consider native to the Middle Atlantic Region.
Seeing this one didn’t just leave me awed, it did serious mind damage on what perceptions are. Something just didn’t fit into a lifelong comfort zone. It was kind of nice.
