The Herons of 49th Street...
thought they fit in pretty well, obviously fans of the central Austin lifestyle as opposed to the coastal marsh lifestyle. As the winter passed, we would sneak glances into the treetops, hoping, but not knowing if we would see the Herons again. We didn't know if they would come back.
But in March, a few weeks before the leaves returned to the trees, who should show up but Ma and Pa Night Heron, flying straight to the same exact nook where they had built their nest last year. Not only that, but one of their chicks accompanied them, all grown up and with a love interest of his own. That year we had two pair of herons nest in our yard, with the newlyweds choosing a nice branch right above our roof. Over the course of the season, I had to climb up on the roof several times to clean all the crawdad guts off the roof. The view of the nest was superb from the top of the roof, and I got a great view of this new brood of chicks. That year, we had 2 chicks from the original nest and three in the new nest. As before it was great fun to watch the chicks grow and walk and flap around the backyard, crapping all over the trampoline.
In 2003, we had six birds come back and nest in the yard. And in 2004, we had seven birds fly in on the same day, but only 6 stayed to nest. Two years ago, we were saddened when we found one of the chicks dead under the nest. Apparently it fell out of the nest and was killed by the fall. And then last year, in the nest above my neighbor's backyard, the branch split underneath the original nest. The nest crashed down with all the chicks in it, but luckily it got hung up in another branch. I came home to find my neighbor out in the yard, rigging up support ropes to keep the nest from falling any further. We have been through a lot with the herons.
So now it's March again, and the trees are still bare. But I know that won't last. And every day when I get home from work, I look up into the trees, waiting for the return of the Herons of 49th St.
Heron update: On March 7, a single heron appeared in the backyard. Over the next two days, we anxiously waited for the rest of the crew to show up, but they never did. I don't know if the other birds died over the last year, or if their migratory patterns have changed. But after two days of waiting around, the heron left. I haven't given up hope, and I still scan the trees every day, but they are overdue. The budding pecan trees seem lonely without the herons, and strangely, so do I.
