Great Blue Heron: The Serene Visionary

I ran across an article which asked which bird would match your personality so this is the first one.

 The article mentioned that Heron lovers are introspective, graceful, and deeply intuitive. These birds represent patience, self-reliance, and quiet wisdom. You’re the person who sees the big picture, trusts their gut, and moves through life with calm confidence. You don’t rush—you arrive exactly when you mean to. Ever wondered which bird best represents your unique personality?

 Birds, with their diverse traits and behaviors, can be surprisingly reflective of our own characteristics. Let's explore which feathered friend aligns with your inner self. 

 Great Blue Herons are solitary and graceful. If you're introspective, patient, and have a deep appreciation for tranquility, the heron mirrors your thoughtful and visionary qualities at least that's what the article says.

 When I moved to my present location in the interior of BC I discovered a heronry. It was truly amazing to see.  During nesting season birdwatchers came from all over to watch.  There were approximately 52 nests that had been there for 37 years and as of last year they had 151 adults and 103 chicks.

They are right in town by the Walmart and a mall and you can't imagine the experience of having one of these huge birds swoop over your head as they fly to their nest because they are huge and look like a prehistoric pterodactyl. 

This might give you more of an idea.

• Height: 3.2 to 4.5 feet (1 to 1.4 meters).
• Wingspan: 5.5 to 6.6 feet (1.7 to 2 meters).
• Weight: 4 to 8 pounds (1.8 to 3.6 kilograms).
• Body Length: 38 to 54 inches (97 to 137 centimeters). 

Below is an article about them with photos that show how unafraid of humans they are and how big they are

Article about Herons

   It's quite awesome to see. The only downside to their presence is that without covering the ponds in your garden with netting, you cannot keep goldfish or koi as the herons hunt them. 

 I saw one in a field one day and as I was busy doing something else I had an opportunity to watch it for a long period of time. It stood perfectly still completely unconcerned with my presence only about 20 feet away and with it's long legs, neck and pointy head it hid well in the reeds that it was standing in.

 It's a beautiful bluey grey color which matches the shadows so it was miraculous to see it at all. 

 I kept an eye on it and after an hour or so of standing perfectly still it managed to capture a frog. Then it promptly flew away perhaps to feed it's young.  It was definitely an experience to remember.

Watercolor Great Blue Heron Bird nature wildlife
by countrymousestudio

Great Blue Heron Bird Personality Fun Birthday
by possibilitee

Original watercolor Great Blue Heron Bird
by countrymousestudio

Watercolor Great Blue Heron Bird
by countrymousestudio

Custom Name Fun Great Blue Heron Bird Nature Art Post-it Notes
by countrymousestudio

Animal Protectors Angels or not

 Many humans believe that there are good and evil spirits to contend with.  Most believe that the majority of animals are good and even that most animals are better than most humans.  Thousands of stories are available to tell us how dogs, cats, horses, and other animals came to a human's rescue.  The bible itself tells us how God sent ravens to feed Elijah in his time of need.

Many also believe that each animal has characteristics that we can learn from and it wouldn't be a stretch of the imagination to think that God would send us examples so we could see and feel what love feels like and then hopefully imitate it since He teaches us that love is the most important thing we can do. For instance, the wolf is known to have incredible loyalty to its family or pack, ants and beavers are hardworking.  These things can teach us what is good.  The animal totem or spirit animal idea is based on that.  If you see lots of Magpies maybe it's time to try and socialize like they do.  This doesn't go against any religion it should show you a loving God that is trying to help you by sending you examples of things you may want to consider.

Sometimes animals are simply a comfort to those who need love and companionship and what greater privilege than to love and comfort someone who needs it. 

I have found in my lifetime (and I've been around a while) that God has used animals to help me many times.

When I was a young girl living in the country I had a Border Collie named Shep that was my best friend.  We did almost everything together.  Then one day when he was outside and I was in the house alone I decided it was a beautiful summer day to go for a walk.  I pushed and pushed on the door but Shep wouldn't budge.  He sat so firmly against it until I got frustrated and went around to a window to see if something else was stopping the door from opening.  In the berry bushes, just a few feet away was a big black bear.  Shep never barked or made a noise he just sat firmly against the door so I couldn't go out.   When the bear moved on so did the dog and the door opened freely.   

That was my first encounter with an animal protector.  I was thankful for the dog but also thankful for the one who made the dog and gave him the ability to do that just like He sent the ravens to feed Elijah.

 

Animal Totems

A while back, I read a book on Animal Totems. While I know that anything can be taken to extremes, I liked what it had to say about animals characteristics.

The idea originated with the Native Americans. They believed the creator had placed animals on this earth to help and to teach us. They lived close to nature and animals were a large part of their life and gave them knowledge of their environment that helped them survive.
In a survival situation, animals could lead them to food. If they observed behavior, a bear, might show them where honey or fish could be found and a wolf might lead them to deer or other game they needed.

They also believed that animals came into their life at certain times when they needed wisdom to handle something or to give comfort, for example:The wolf could teach them about honoring family and loyalty. The owl could teach them the value of being observant, whereas an otter might remind them of the need to play. A mouse saw the small details and it was after reading this, I came up with the name for my store. For them it was a way for the creator to communicate to them.
For a lot of modern people, I think the power is taken from the Creator and given to the animals to the point where the animals themselves  are  worshiped, but that is not how the original Native Americans believed.

In modern times, many stories have been written about a dog, cat and even pet bird that comforted a loved one left behind after a death or how they've rescued a person by letting someone know their owner needed help or even alerted people to fires.

This generation has also learned to use animals for therapy in senior's homes and hospitals. A few years ago, I took care of a group home for people with physical disabilities and I never saw more joy expressed by any of them then I did when I brought in an wild duckling that had been abandoned by it's mother on the hot pavement in town.

Growing up on a farm with dogs, cats, cows, goats, chicken, ducks, geese etc, I always knew animals had the power to calm and heal so I was happy when research revealed that pet owners live longer and are better able to handle stress. This new idea that they could teach us something was even more fascinating to think about.

As I studied more about this, I came to the realization that each animal has their own characteristics and unique way of dealing with stress, loss and the difficulties we all face in life. I recently watched a video showing crows mourning the death of one of their own. The whole family gathered at the site and it was easy to see how upset they were.

Later, when my daughter developed an interest in horses, it was at a time when the equestrian world was discovering how horses could be used as therapy animals. Apparently, horses work very well for women who have been in abusive situations as the two find a common ground quickly because horses are prey animals and women often feel like prey animals too.

So thinking along that train of thought, I developed a line of products with the characteristics we can learn from and here are some examples:
Who knows what more we will learn in the future about our relationship with animals.

Otter Animal Totem by countrymousestudio

The text on the cup states that Otter teaches us to take life as it comes, be curious about everything and most important take time to play.

Cougar Animal Totem by countrymousestudio

Cougar teaches us to balance strength and grace in body, mind and spirit to find our power.

Raven Animal Totem Mug by countrymousestudio

Raven teaches us that even in the darkest times we can find light and bring out the good.