Give and Take

 April was Earth month. And in honor of Earth Day (4/22), I shared one way I try to do my part as a concerned inhabitant of this planet. I strapped on a funny harness thing to hold my camera and went to pick up trash from a small creek near my home. 

I filmed myself fishing old toy balls and other trash from the creek.

Not for validation or likes, but to show one of the beautiful places I want to keep clean and safe for wildlife and people. And to hopefully inspire others to take action. 

The pickup was a successful mission. BUT there's good news and bad news. The bad news is that there are now more old balls and trash in that creek. The good, beautiful news is that (in what seemed like nature totally saying thanks), last week I spotted a gorgeous great blue heron in said creek. I used a bird ID app I have on my phone to be sure. He/she picked its way through a stretch of the creek, probably looking for tiny fish, before gracefully climbing out where I could observe it in all its glory.

For a moment it seemed to spot me watching it and lock eyes with me. My picture does not do it justice. But the goal here was to record this animal without disturbing him/her.

Don't get me wrong, I've seen my share of herons on different waterways in my state.

There are a number of different types that like to visit and live in the wetlands we have around walking trails and in parks. But every time I see one, it is magical. And that's why, for me, it was nature sharing something lovely to say thank you for your effort, friend.

Also, I hope to pick up more trash there if I can manage it without meeting up with any slithering friends (which I think I spotted in my video). Watch it here.