This morning dawned very foggy – the kind of heavy fog you can see as it drifts by, dulling sound. I gave a forest tour to a prospective Songbird family and then headed back out afterward, this time with the dog, who’d been pouting because there were children outside and he was inside.
He ran at near top speed to the back of the forest, then everything was quiet and still … In that stillness I passed by the forest pond and in one corner, looking like a garden statue was the Great Blue Heron. Our frequent winter visitor was probably planning on catching frogs or such for his lunch.
David Sobel, a childhood education/nature writer, talks about how children playing in nature often align themselves with animals, collecting them, rescuing them, becoming them – Animal Allies Play. In this early animal play, there may be the beginnings of empathy, an understanding of our place in the world’s ecosystems, and environmental awareness and stewardship.
I hope you come back often, heron, and inspire the children with your great wings that unfold and lift you slowly to the sky! We’ll watch in wonder from the stillness.
Songbird Nature School 