A Three-Heron Day

In my attempts to get a little exercise and because the heat wave finally broke, I headed off to a couple of natural areas for some short hikes. The well marked mile-long nature trail at the Wyckoff (McFaul) Nature Preserve provided a brisk walk. Then I headed for the Celery Farm Natural Area in Allendale for a quick peek at the lake, where there is always some water bird activity. A glance around from the vantage point of the Warden's Watch observation platform yielded a black-crowned night heron, a great blue heron--and after a few minutes, a green-backed heron. The great egret was seen across the lake, as well as the ever-present double-crested cormorants, swans and assorted ducks. And of course, the canada geese were there in numbers. So a brief visit of perhaps a half hour, in the pleasant 72-degree, breezy weather, was most refreshing. I must start doing these walks much more regularly!