Egrets and Herons are HERE

Yesterday two Great Egrets (white, black legs, yellow bills) arrived! And, they are here again this morning - or they were. Also, this morning, two Great Blue Herons are here again - at one point I could see all four magnificent birds stalking fish along the edge of the Pond. But, at some point, one of each pair chased away the other. I guess there is some kind of hierarchy when feeding? The egrets look identical so I'm guessing they're both males. The herons look slightly different - so perhaps they are male and female - what fun it would be to again see little herons! I have once before. Actually, I've only seen one fly around - never actually feeding. Young ones don't seem to stay around long. I recorded first spotting the Great Egret in August of 2008. So, I guess this is their time to be on the move. I'm glad they stopped here for a visit.
Randy mowed the grass yesterday - and finally it is grass, not weeds and dirt! We've had great rains lately. He mowed the labyrinth so the knee-high grass is gone but the pattern is still very obvious. It has matured into a beautiful spot for walking meditation. I see it every time I look across the Pond - and now from here I can even see the stones friends have placed around the center section. Unfortunately the willow trees Ray and I planted seem to have died. I'll trim them back and hope they resprout. My Dad always said - give the trees a couple of years, you never know.