I love when I am at the right place at the right time. When I go to
Elk Island, the first place that I stop is Astotin Lake to see if I can
spot a Great Blue Heron.
I didn't have to look very far today. It was along the beach hunting for food beside the pelicans and the Canada geese.
As I watched it stalked its prey. I witnessed the attack. Down the hatch went a fish.
The heron made its way to a reedy spot so when I lost sight of it, I
walked toward the boardwalk. Just as I got to an open area to see the
water again, the heron flew up from the reeds, across the lake and
landed on the branch of a spruce tree!
Elk Island National Park never disappoints no matter what time of day
I travel there however, the light and quiet of an early morning visit
enhances the experience.
A visit at 7:30am found nobody else
around; not even the park staff were out that early. There were no
humans but there were definitely many creatures big and small; beginning
with the bison along the roadside. They paid no mind to me as I
stopped to watch them graze in the tall grass.
An elk bolted out of the forest as if being chased. In a blink of an eye it was gone into the forest on the opposite side of the road.
Ponds were alive with waterfowl in search of food. Each has families
of Canada geese in them. The goslings are now big enough to search for
food on their own, under the watchful eye of their parents.
As I
wandered the beach at Astotin Lake, the avocets and gulls were
harvesting the blood suckers close to shore. The water was calm and the
warm light of the morning helped to create a very memorable scene.
A great blue heron flew across the lake. The pelicans were gathering.
Once they were all together, they swam in unison in search of food.
The cormorants and red neck grebes were near the boardwalk.
I
parked myself in a Parks Canada red chair and watched and listened to
the sights and sounds of the early morning. What a great way to begin
the day.
