The fish were having a banner day, a red letter day--cliches, of course, but that's just how they looked (banners and red letters) as they darted across the pond. The sun was strong, the water was warm, and now there were two of us to pinch and toss those stinky fish flakes through the air.
The pollen spiked. Our eyelids weighted. We went inside. I woke up a half-hour later to see-- apparition! Ghost swallowing greedily, on the edge of the pond.
I ran outside. The heron roosted on the roof of my study, defiant, before it took off: white white white white white through the leaves.
We looked down. No fish. Just the bullfrog, crouching between the iris spears, with sly mouth.
Had he frozen there, above-it-all, as the heron cleaned out the pond?
But early Friday we saw them again: one orange dart and then another, but deep beneath the surface now, chastened, frenzied.
As for who became food? Only the creatures know.
5 comments:
I saw an Ibis once - the equivalent of your heron I imagine. I saw it as it sat on the edge of our pond and I admired it for a few minutes, thinking what a rare and strange bird, until I saw it dart its long beak into the water and watched the bulge slide down its slender neck.
I wanted it gone.
We have no fish now, the Ibis cleared them out. I'm glad yours managed to evade the heron, or at least that some did.
Gorgeous but greedy birds, but isn't this all about survival of the fittest, and nature's way - another cliche.
The food chain in action, I guess, though I did almost cry out, bad bird!
There was something astonishing (and I try not to use that word that much) about seeing that big bird just a few feet out the kitchen window. The house is only a few hundred feet from a saltwater marsh, but you'd never know that from our yard, with its healthy maples. It looked like it had swept in from the Everglades.
Our pond is overpopulated, clearly our fish enjoy procreation, so I don't think we're going to be cleared out any time soon. Too bad, though, about your fish, your pond.
sometimes the food chain as a reality is a bit hard to take. recently i watched a local cat with a baby rabbit in its mouth walk toward some trees. (to feast?) yuck. but it was a weekend for birds for me. i saw two dark birds pester an eagle and a heron hang out for a really long time on a downed tree that spans the river on our minnesota property...makes me wish i could fly.
Hi Nancy,
My childhood dog Taffy used to catch baby rabbits and bring them to her bed. The look of shy pride on her face made it hard for us to get exasperated with her.
Eagles and herons: I'd love to see an eagle on our yard. They're nearby--I saw one flying above I-95 in Eastern Connecticut last year--but not quite here.
Whean i can visit? Hohoho may be just a dream...
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