One Good Bird Weasel

When I started birding with Ruth Sullivan when birding was slow she would always say, “One good bird, that’s all we need” to make our day successful. The Green Heron we saw on our first visit back to Theler would have been enough to make my day, but then Leslie spotted this weasel

at the main bridge while I was gazing into the distance. It was so close that I had trouble finding it even when she pointed it out.

I have seen a weasel several times but never this close. I was surprised when it climbed up onto the bridge,

ran forward a couple of feet,

and ducked behind a post,

all the time staring intently at me.

Though I’ll admit to being a tad nervous when it ran toward me and not away, it made my day.

Still Beautiful

Although it had been nearly three weeks since we visited Theler Wetlands after our trip to Bear River, some things hadn’t changed at all. We were greeted at the bridge closest to the Salmon Center by the same Barn Swallows on the same branch where I had last left them,

though it was joined by some younger barn swallows that hadn’t been there previously.

I even spotted an old friend, one I hadn’t seen at Theler for several years, this Green Heron.

I found Theler in 2005 while in search of my first Green Heron. A fellow birder told me it was the one place he could count on seeing a Green Heron. I didn’t see one for quite a while, but I fell in love with Theler’s quiet beauty and have returned regularly since, as revealed in 207 posts. Ironically, the Green Herons have disappeared since the dike was breached several years ago.

Even on a slow day and roses have faded into distant memory, there’s always beauty to be found if you’re open to seeing it.