Tuesday 3 November 2009

Where The Wild Things Are


Still Life With Heron
Neck stretched out,
looking quite at home,
in the middle of the city!
Rose Garden Fountain
Volksgarten


You here?
The large bird looks at me,
now hunched down,
neck bent over its breast,
after the first click
of my camera.

Watch Your Step
he mumbles,
looking over his shoulder,
watching me stumble and
almost fall into the pond.
I feel flustered,
like a little girl
who has encountered Big Bird
on her way to school
!

"Here's Looking At You,
Kid!"

He is gorgeous,
isn't he?

A Grey Heron
in the Year of Darwin
with the Natural History Museum
in downtown Vienna
as a background,
if that is not worthy
of a newsbreak,
what is?


*

"Nor Sleet nor Snow nor Heron"
can stop Merisi
from bringing your the latest news
from the
Snow and Heron Capital
on this dreary November 3, 2009!

Images and Text
© by Merisi


25 comments:

  1. Ornithologically, a revealing sequence of pictures, Merisi. The folded flight feathers and their coverts look fresh and uniform in tone, suggesting he is an adult that has completed post-nuptial moult. He probably knows the place from experience, maybe having noticed the presence of goldfish on a previous visit! And yes, I bleieve you are correct in sexing the bird as male.

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  2. Poor diligent heron.
    Fantastic photos :)

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  3. What's a heron doing in Vienna?
    Next he'll turn up at a cafe I guess...
    Except he does look awfully nice- he looks like a piece of sculpture
    And snow...what's up with that?
    All too romantique

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  4. What is he doing in a fountain, in the middle of the city? Is he lost or blown over by a storm? You captured all its phases beautifully. And, as a faithful photographer of the city, you captured this new tourist too.

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  5. You are utterly and completely dedicated!! What a day! But what amazing photos!!! Ahhh, that poor, dear fellow!! What a bitter trick Mother Nature has played upon him!!! What a fabulously conjectured conversation you have given us...I think this is one of my all-time favorite posts...you've caught a rare moment...with your brilliant, crisp photography, and ready wit!!! And thank you also, Merisi, for sharing my happiness and joy today...as well as my heartbreaks along the way...You are the truest of friends...the most beautiful inside and out...and I am so grateful to know you!!! Sending you all of my love, and lots of warm thoughts and hugs on this cold, dreary day!!! Oh, and a cup of steaming latte would be nice to share together, too!! Love to you, my dear friend!! Janine XOXO

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  6. P.S. I JUST FOUND YOUR FRIPPERY!!!! Oh, boy!!! More beauty!!! Love you so much!!! ~J.

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  7. A Heron in the fountain...there must be a poem in there somewhere.
    Too early for cold and snow. Sorry... but its 21.1C here today as I watch 2 hummingbirds flit around my blooming Manzanita tree. It seems like 2 different worlds.

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  8. You go from strength to strength, cherie, and even the birds of the air pose for you in the most horrible conditions.

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  9. Unbelievable !!! Snow in Vienna, we were swimming , few days ago in Provence

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  10. News indeed!
    How very strange to have such cold weather so early in the year.
    But what a handsome fellow the heron is!

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  11. Such an unexpected and lovely juxtaposition of nature and art! Well done!

    (Now get inside and stay warm!)

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  12. Very cool. One of my favourite birds for sure. I haven't seen our local heron in a few weeks now. So now I know where he went. ;)

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  13. I love herons and they are always wonderful to see in many parts of the world.

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  14. poor guy, in that snow :(. and what a weather! next Tuesday I arrive in Vienna - I hope the weather will be a little bit better :|

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  15. And nothing, nothing, NOTHING......can stop BrittArnhild from coming over to Merisi's place to explore her finding, to let her seduce me, to fall in love with Vienna again and again........

    Amazing Merisi!

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  16. Great shots, Merisi! Well done, you!

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  17. Certainly more newsworthy thn the G8 summit, what a scoup for you!

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  18. that heron needs to find some shelter!!!

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  19. He is GORGEOUS.
    It is one of my favorite birds to capture on camera...
    great job!

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  20. Wonderful camera work. He's one great looker.

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  21. That heron looks definitely grumpy. Obviously the sleet is all your fault (who knew herons could be just like cats in that respect?)

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  22. @ spacedlaw,
    I agree, reproachfully, that's how he looked at me!

    @ maalie,
    I knew he's a male by the way he dressed:
    No sensible female would hang around without boots in such nasty weather! ;-)

    Thank you all for your kind and generous comments!

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  23. I'm so glad that nothing stopped you from taking these awesome photos.

    Paz ;-)

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  24. What a wonderful bird, and what a magical sequence os pictures. Vienna seems lovely in November.
    Thankyou for making me love Vienna before going there in April!

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  25. A wonderful set of photos, Merisi. The bird looks like it tolerated your presence while you took its picture.

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