To Be Read With a British Accent…

By Nick Kotula, JRA Guest Contributor

A scene taken rather later in the year shows the interior of The Richmond Heronry with a glade in the centre and gleaming silver birch stems, and on either side twin oaks, one dead and deserted, the other living and adorned with three herons’ nests.  Above it soars one of the birds.  By the first week in April the young are often hatched, but as a rule, it is not till the middle of the month that their chattering cry for food is heard. – Country Life Illustrated, Volume 5

One could easily think that this quote from a book from 1899 was referring to our heronry, but in fact it is referring to a heronry that is in Richmond, England (a town near London) on the Thames!  (Rhymes with “stems.”   I propose we start pronouncing James the same way.)   Further proof that the founders of our fair city were both homesick and rather unoriginal in their naming practices.  The Vauxhall in Vauxhall Island is also a suburb of London.

One thing that the British heronry doesn’t have is the Northern Water Snake (seen here investigating me from the bubbles of a raging river).  I will allow you to decide whether this is a good thing or not, but keep in mind that they are non-venomous.  (It’s always good to know that a snake is not going to kill you when it pops up two feet from your foot.)

Meanwhile, the GBHs seem to be getting a little sick of living so close to each other.  This picture is just one of the turf wars that I witnessed.  Pretty soon they are going to be slicking back their plumes and starting a rumble a la “West Side Story.”

I shall leave you with one last image that is practically guaranteed to make you say, “Awwwww!”  These Canada geese goslings were hanging out with about 20 of their brothers and sisters.  Their hissing parents were the only thing that stopped me from climbing down there and just hugging them!  They’re so fluffy!