The Herons

Nature's clever fishermen

Herons in the stream,

gracefully slow in movement,

yet strike so quickly.

There are many Native American legends which attribute the heron with great hunting stealth and determination, with some identifying the heron as a messenger of the Great Spirit.  One celebration of the heron as "clever" that I enjoy is that of the pre-historic Hitchiti tribe of the Georgia USA region:

"The Heron and the Hummingbird" *

The first Heron and the first Hummingbird both loved to eat fish.  The Heron did not care to share the world's fish with the Hummingbird so he cleverly convinced the Hummingbird  that they should have a 4-day race and the winner would be the only one who could eat fish from then on.

As the Hummingbird could zip and fly circles around the slow Heron, it confidently accepted the challenge and the race was on.   Each day, the Hummingbird spent more time stopping to sample the nectar of all of the flowers than he did flying and eventually lost the race to the slower but determined Heron, who had never stopped flying the entire four days.

 

From that day forward, the clever Heron and his descendants continued to eat fish and the overconfident Hummingbird and his descendants could only sip the nectar of flowers.   

* American Folklore - "Spooky South" by S.E. Schlosser, ISBN13: 9781493019175  

Reviews

[Chris Shaw]

I read this fine 5/7/5 yesterday Watercress, but have returned to read again and comment this morning. I am a great admirer of herons. I often spend times boating on the Thames, so I get the opportunity to see these wonderful creatures standing as still as statues and then when you least expect it taking to flight. Magnificent and graceful they are to watch. Also skilled fishers. Amazingly quick and accurate.

Thank you for sharing The Heron and The Hummingbird with your readers. A delightful piece of folklore.

All good wishes.

Chris

[Remanence]

Thank you for your excellent review and commentary. Your heart is 4-square with nature and your reflections are testimonies to her children.
I know the UK heron populations are mainly stable. Here they and all waterfowl have suffered from land practices. For the first time I saw a greater blue heron (5' tall) over 100 miles out of his normal Mississippi River range.
It is well that we have people who care like you on the waters to testify on behalf of all things wild. It is their home too. Thank you :)

[Chris Shaw]

I firmly believe in preserving our environment, its species and living alongside them in harmony. So interesting to hear about the blue heron out of his normal river range. Have a good weekend.

[Remanence]

Wanted to share: When I saw the large heron, it was standing absolutely still in the middle of a pasture that had just been cut for bailing. When they get that big, they will take mice and other small mammals. He was quite an impressive sight even at that distance and certainly not one to have around the Koi pond! Ha!