The Day of the Blue Heron at Weldon, NC

I chuckled, as I listened to my 42 year old son Elliot’s response to my talk about aging and at some point changing his lifestyle. Sympathetic and kind, Elliot replied, “Aunty Sandra and you make it sound so depressing.”

When I reflected on my son's statement, particularly the term “depressing” I thought about it and concluded that it was not my intent to make aging sound depressing because at least for me. My former and present life experiences are far from depressing, and if anything, I start each day excited about another opportunity to enjoy an abundant life and anticipate, what I call, new unexpected experiences.

During my younger years I aggressively anticipated and created new exciting experiences but today, I allow the unexpected experiences to excite me.

Never in my young wildest dreams (which I had many in my youth) did I think that I would be interested in photographing wildlife or even charmed into watching and taking pictures of rarely seen birds, such as the Blue Heron.

Most of my experiences with taking photos of the gawky looking Blue Heron had always been at a distance until one day, this shy bird made a visit, approximately 20 feet from where I stood on the Roanoke River Dock.

It was midday, close to 90 degrees and the day promised a long humid sticky day of fishing, as I planned to take my usual bike ride to the Roanoke River with three fishing rods in one hand, tightly grasping the handle bars, a pail on the other side on the handle bars for balance and with a tackle bag and cameras strapped to a rear rack.

Routinely, I’d go to the river to relax or fish for Striped Bass and talk with residents and tourists. But today was unusual because all I could think about and wanted to do was to catch a bucket full of big heavy weight Catfish. The more I thought about the unbearable heat, humidity and especially the Roanoke River’s slippery, muddy shore where I’d have to fish for catfish and finding my way down a deep sloping path.

The more I thought about my age and the possibility of slipping and falling or being confronted by snakes.

Nor would I be fishing from the safety of fishing from the dock where I’d stand in direct sunlight and bake for as long as I could take it and drinking gallons of water to fight off dehydration. No, today I was heading for the slippery, muddy, bug and snake infested dark hidden Roanoke River shoreline, where the big catfish hid under fallen trees and huge rocky crevices.

Cutoff from all the usual and expected noise of people, cars and freight trains blasting its horn as it pass through the small town of Weldon, and it was here on the river’s dark hidden shoreline that the unexpected happened for the second time.

The shy elusive Blue Heron, seemingly visited with me once again, after he posed momentarily for a picture at the rivers dock. Sure fishing for catfish was a success.

But it got better; because this time I had time to video the Blue Heron feeding on small fish just a few feet from where I quietly crouched to enjoy yet another unexpected life experience. I felt like a little boy exploring in the woods, searching and discovering a  new type of bug under leaves and rocks. Adrenalin pumped fiercely through my veins as I used every inch of discipline to observe the unexpected unfold before my eyes. Watch the video below.

As an ethnography researcher, it's my job to collect data over a period of time by a method called observation/participation in order to understand and write about how and why or if Weldon's culture is changing as a result of the town's community development program. Effective community development provides ethnographers the  opportunity to use bragging rights to help brand, promote and market every community activity that will attract people to the community. 

Weldon offers many different experiences such as the Blue Heron for tourist to enjoy and it is conveniently and strategically located five minutes off I-95 for families, sports fisherman, historical buffs, canoe and Kyack enthusiast to take time to smell the roses, and experience the unexpected from “The Rockfish Capital of the World.”