We took off on a rambling drive today looking for a barn a friend told us about...no luck with it but did find several other beauties. They were not the highlight of our day though.
On our way home we decided to check out Wabashiki FWA in Vigo County...actually right on the edge of West Terre Haute. I have never seen so many blue herons and egrets in one place...all with no way to get close enough to get a decent photo. I encourage you to click on the above just to see all the herons...but don't expect the quality of the photo itself to improve.
The photo above does not even begin to tell the whole story...this is right off a busy highway. before we got to the spot to pull off, there were small ponds of water on either side of the highway and the birds were standing almost shoulder to shoulder. On one side was more herons and on the other were more egrets. And no place at all to pull off to take a photograph. And back just a bit from these ponds of water....which actually could be backwaters from the Wabash River...but just a few hundred feet were some trees. In those we saw two juvenile bald eagles...we could tell by looking through Roger's spotter scope and my lens.
We drove around to find another entrance, and we did but seen a kid there who was from Texas but going to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. We talked to him he thought there was something wrong with the place...he took us and showed us. No herons or birds of any kind, and the stench was almost unbearable. The pond of water was definitely more than mudhole, but still not great big. Dead fish were all along the bank...and fish were hitting the top of the water constantly. Roger thinks they were dying from lack of oxygen.
Oh, well, what an end to the day....I could not get that smell out of my head till I came home and took a shower.
It's times like that Rose you just have to enjoy what you see and live in the moment. It is frustrating not to be able to get close.
ReplyDeleteInteresting about the other pond. A little scary too wondering what was in the water.
Well I am glad you got the pictures you did. Strange to find so many heron and egrets all together.
ReplyDeleteDid you ever find out about the stench pond? Weird!!
Boy oh boy that 'baby' is growing up.
I hope she is feeling better too. MB
This was an awesome discovery. I've never seen so many together and to have the young bald eagles was candy flowers on top of the icing on top of the cake!
ReplyDeleteWhen I clicked it full page, it was breathtaking, even without the minute detail of their faces--still an awesome photo.
At least someone was there noting the problems of that other place and hopefully action will be taken.
Perhaps someone dumping something to pollute the last place you stopped? I wonder if it has been reported to whomever watches over such things....
ReplyDeletesorry about that pond and its die-off! but the herons and egrets must have been something!
ReplyDeleteSo much beauty --and then so much stink, all in the same general area... Hope someone reported that stagnant pond (or whatever it is) --so that they can find what is wrong and try to fix it... Yipes!!!!
ReplyDeleteGlad you did enjoy seeing so many birds for awhile...
Hugs,
Betsy
Oh, a photographer's paradise - if only one could get closer!
ReplyDeleteIsn't that the way it is…a potentially good shot and no place to park! I liked the enlarged version very much.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen anything like this density except with Canadian Geese in the fields. Nice post.
It's a shame about the stench pond. It seems strange that one pond would be like that and the others would be just fine. I'm glad you visited and got the picture. I thought it was fine.
ReplyDeleteI hope you find the barn next time.
What a strange, strange story!!! I hope these beautiful birds have not gotten poisoned from the overspill of that place!
ReplyDeletea photographer's dream and nightmare, all in one!!
ReplyDeletei chase egrets and feel sooooo lucky just to find one.
i enlarged the photo...i am quite jealous!!!
Weird! How sad that the one area is so dreadful! I hope a solution to the problem is found soon.
ReplyDeleteIt's cool that you've discovered a place with so many herons, even if you were not able to get up close to them.
Oh my gosh, can you do some calling around to find out what's being done?
ReplyDeleteWow....what a lot of birds! There must have been a heron rookery there or something. Amazing find. I really need to come up your way some day and look for places like this and meet you.
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