The Zorro Necks of Herons [NARRATED] 

Will you respect me less if I confess that I stole that line from Cyrano deBergerac? DeBergerac soliloquizes about the size of his nose, saying that it arrives everywhere a quarter of hour before he does, that it is like a peninsula, that it is a perch for songbirds. Hey, I only appropriate from the best. Anyway, I'm glad to hear you liked the script. Some of it was even my own words. Okay, all the rest of it.

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOMEHILARIOUS!!!! 😂

Sounds like a wonderful day. Yes, I know the great blue heron’s croak - very primeval.

I bet you were! I just checked the range map, and you're not included in the bird's territory. (But, of course, there are always strays that wander off course--though not usually further NORTH than they should be this time of year.) Anyway, I hope you got a good close look. They're so impressive.

Thanks for the compliment. And, yes, good observation. They fly elegantly ,with measured beats as befits such statuesque birds.

I never thought of my voice as soothing particularly, just ... a voice--until I started making movies and hearing that from viewers. Well, good. It's nice to know I had a virtue I didn't even recognize. 😉 And thank you. But will you still love me if I do some bug movies? I've been shooting macro of bees and butterflies lately. Up close, they are weirdly wonderful.

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME 😆 of course I would still love you if you do other types of videos. I love anything that has to do with nature. I find insects fascinating. Looking forward to your new videos and of course to be mesmerized by your beautiful voice. 😊

@@a.m.v.6938 don’t go giving me a swelled head now. But I do love the compliment. Thanks. The next one will be about petting sleepy bees.

They can look goofy, but they’re also elegant, with a slow and stately walk. Watching them is a privilege.

Hello! Geneseo IL and here. Cool to see a post from the Quad Cities!

I'm puzzled why you would think this was posted from the Quad Cities. I do have family living in Geneseo, though! My stepson, Jason, lives there and his kids went to school there. But I'm in St. Louis.@@audra1976oliver

Yeah, the others are all harder to find. I've only seen the Tri-colored Heron and the Reddish Egret in Florida. And there are two more--the Cattle Egret and the Least Bittern--that I've never seen, much less filmed. Maybe one of these days, right?

​@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME Let's hope so! Your content is always a delight to listen to.

@@adognamedboo9474 It's always nice to hear that. Thanks.

Thank you for writing to tell me all that. With every movie I make, I do some research and pass along what I think is most interesting. And not everybody gets my wry sense of humor, but I see that you do.

Most of the great egret and yellow crowned night heron footage. I filmed this summer. The rest of it I have been collecting over the past seven or eight years. Much of it, in fact, has been used in earlier films. Anyway, I’m glad you enjoyed, the visuals, and I was so intrigued when I learned about that vertebra in their necks that I was enthusiastic about passing that info along. I’m glad you enjoyed it all.

Thank you. Most of the Great Egret and Yellow-crowned Night Heron footage was taken this last summer. But the rest of it is footage I've collected over the last several years for earlier movies. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to comment.

It's a treat for me to hear from someone who really got into the video. I see that you did. So did I, as I was making it. Editing film is hypnotic when I'm watching those beautiful birds hour after hour. Thanks for writing me.

Awesome and appreciated? Thank you. I'll keep it in mind. As for "egret", it is nice to be able to put the right name to something, isn't it?

Well, I’m glad you got to see it too. All those herons are beautiful and fascinating in their differences. I hope you also saw the one before that about heron legs and feet. I guess if I checked the comments on that one, I could tell whether you had already watched it, but I’m too lazy to do that. Anyway, thanks, as always, for watching and commenting.

I know, I know. I used to wonder why they had a lump in their necks, and it was fun to find out what that was about.

My pleasure, Geraldine.

Hey, good to hear from you. Yeah, I know, those retractable necks are hard to believe. And you said it: the combo of slow moving and quick striking fascinated me too. I'm glad you enjoyed the video, and thanks for commenting.

​@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME - I'm in the process of moving so I'm 3 weeks behind on my YT Watch Later list, but this one was worth the wait!

@@SimplyGobsmacked Yeah, you barely got this one in before the next one goes up. Friday I’ll be telling you about petting sleepy bees

Glad you thought so, and thanks for commenting.

And I love to hear that you do.(And I see by your "HILARIOUS" comment that you don't mind a spot of plagiarism here and there. 😁) Anyway, thanks for letting me know how much you appreciate my efforts.

I couldn't agree more, Audra. As I took the film and then edited it for this movie, I got to watch them for many hours--and never got tired of it.

Really beautiful. Thank you Jo.

@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME yeah I think that would be calming.

@@myvillagebirds I didn’t notice this comment until just now. Better late than never, as they say. And I wouldn’t want you to think I didn’t appreciate the compliment. Thanks.

@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME no problem Jo.

Nice to hear from you, Letty. If herons are a favorite of yours, then the info in this vid would be worth remembering. Did you by any chance see the one before this about their feet and legs? (Two days after I posted that one, I learned that what I thought were knees are actually ankles, by the way.) Thanks for commenting and for the praise.

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME Hi Jo, no I didn't see that one. Copy me the link if you have time, I love herons, bitterns (sp?), comorants, etc. I did see your videos on the latter. But I love the backyard bird videos too, especially since I only seem to get sparrows on my feeders these days. Keep them coming!

Here's the link, Letty: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BU19-h2xVzA.htmlsi=RHICvyBwgtZFRtIB

Well, they're bigger than most dogs, so, yeah, I guess so.