This is how we know it's spring! And it's back a month early this year.
That's what we call our friend because we don't know if it's a boy or a girl and I don't know how to tell. I went out on the patio a little pre-occupied and not paying attention (working on our summer menu today)) and here it was - right on our patio, I almost ran into it. It took flight just in time to avoid me smashing into it and landed at the neighbours' pond. This great big heron, it is so tall, I think it almost reaches my shoulder! Keeps coming to our patio every year to stare at our gold fish. It got away with one of them 2 years ago. Then I covered our fish with chicken wire, so that the bird couldn't get at it anymore, but still kept coming every morning just to look. This continued from late April until July every year. Then it would get busy with its babies or something and nothing until next spring. So, it's that time of year and THE THING is back! I didn't get a chance to get a picture of him today, so I used last years (I have lots of great opportunities to take pictures of our friend every year). I don't know what is going to happen now because we decided not to keep the gold fish on the patio anymore (The Thing being one of the reasons). They are safe and sound in their inside tank with Ken in his den.
Would it be a good idea to cut up some fresh fish and put it out in the morning????