Great blue heron in flight Today, Saturday, was dump day... well, visiting the Transfer Station day, since the town dump, once a treasure trove for scavenging and a meeting place for great conversation—the local pols always campaigned here—is now closed. After transferring all the outright trash and the recyclables, I drive to a nearby pond in the shadow of Lantern Hill and checked out the water for pond fauna and flora. About 10 yards away from my photo perch on the shore, a Great Blue Heron stealthily worked the shallows. It paused for a minute, then, with a fast snap of its long, flexible neck, it deftly speared something with its bill. I couldn't see whether it caught a fish, a frog, or something else edible, but whatever it was disappeared down the bird's gullet. Satisfied, the heron flapped its large wings, became airborne, and sailed low over an expanse of white, bladderwort flowers. When it reached what it hoped was a productive hunting area to my right, the great bird landed and resumed its stalking.