Why did the heron cross the road?

Once in a while you see these guys standing like statues at Crissy Field but it’s far less common to see their giant wingspans soaring right over head. Such was the case on Monday when a Great Blue Heron landed on the street below my bedroom window. I was on the phone with my thesis adviser at the time so I couldn’t immediately drop everything to grab my camera for a picture. I kept one eye on him as he continued walking around, taking those odd, stalking steps and I started thinking this was too cool to pass up. I was faced with quite a dilemma. Do I focus on the important phone call or get my camera and take a picture of a bird?

I think I did what any reasonable person and dedicated student would have done. But lest you think I’m the only one fascinated by this bird's harrowing walk across Stilwell Road, check out the photo below. Notice the heron nearly camouflaged in the foreground to the left of the tall green bushes and the neighbors at the window.

Once I got off the phone with my adviser, I checked the Wikipedia entry on Great Blue Herons (as per my wildlife spotting protocol) and it turns out they are not just big or great or blue but pretty interesting too, especially when it comes to their diet. They eat mostly fish but also other little critters they come across like crabs, turtles, frogs, even small birds and rodents. That’s good news because last week a letter came in the mail saying, “as part of ongoing pest control, the Presidio Trust will be placing trap boxes in your neighborhood in an effort to reduce rodent populations.” So why did the heron cross the road? To take care of that rodent problem, I hope.