\u201cI think something is eating the fish,\u201d I mentioned to my husband.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, I was wondering about that.\u201d Jim mused.\u00a0 \u201cLast few times I checked on them there didn’t seem to be nearly as many and I haven\u2019t been able to spot that one with the white belly for a few days now either.<\/p>\n
Rescue animals don\u2019t generally include fish but earlier that year we had fallen victim to another visionary plan by my brother-in-law Tim, a local contractor with an uncanny ability to arrange things.\u00a0 Invariably one of his clients would want something like an old claw foot bathtub for a farmhouse remodel and he\u2019d know of someone else who was desperate to get rid of theirs. His excitement was infectious and regardless of the time and energy he spent on these endeavors would perpetually describe their outcomes as \u201creally pretty neat\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey Jim, I know someone who needs to get rid of some fish because they are taking out their pond next month as part of a garden renovation and I also know somebody else who can keep the koi until we build a pond,\u201d Tim said one evening sipping on a hot brandy out of one of our old coffee cups and walking out into the garden.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019d still need to do something with the goldfish but they should be okay in the lower trough for a few months.\u201d<\/p>\n
We\u2019d heard this tone in his voice before and felt a little like fish on a line ourselves before the heavy tug of a hook sunk in.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe could build it right about\u2026.here,\u201d he continued, raising his arm in a sweeping arch across the hillside at the end of our garden.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay,\u201d we said dreamily visualizing a serene koi pond below a tumbling waterfall.<\/p>\n
Not long after, we dumped the forty or so rescue goldfish rather unceremoniously into the cattle trough located along our property line about a quarter mile from our house.\u00a0 The fish to water ratio may have been a bit high though they seemed happily companionable forming a symbiotic relationship with the cows that came to the trough to quench their thirst.\u00a0 As the cows slurped up water, the ball faucet opened releasing fresh spring water back to the trough and the little goldfish, dining blissfully on their preferred diet of mosquito larvae, provided bovine relief from the annoying and sometimes dangerous insects.<\/p>\n
The mystery behind the declining goldfish population was solved on another evening when Jim was heading home.\u00a0 Glancing toward the trough he saw a large, hungry looking Great Blue Heron standing on the lip of the trough, motionlessly waiting for another unsuspecting victim to venture out into the open.\u00a0 In that instant the bird jabbed its long pointed bill downward into the trough and when the wet head emerged, with a flip and a twist the wriggling orange body in its mouth disappeared.<\/p>\n
Jim launched himself from the pickup truck and with arms waiving and hollering loudly, catapulted down the hill toward the trough.\u00a0 The nearly four foot tall heron, feigning no notice of the disturbance, waited motionless until the last possible moment, and with a nonchalant little leap off its narrow perch, unfurled its magnificent blue grey wings, pulled at the air twice and lifted itself straight up over the trough, disappearing into the evening dusk.<\/p>\n
Our Great Blue, not easily deterred, continued to visit the trough on a regular basis and we continued to try to think of ways of keeping our shrinking school of fish safe.\u00a0 We planted re-bar fence posts around the trough and then wound fishing line back and forth between them all along the length and width of the tough.\u00a0 When Great Blue was found once again standing on the lip of the trough a few evenings later, two more layers of fishing line were added to the increasingly complex geometric weave above the trough, but to no avail.<\/p>\n
Jim ran at the interloper standing over the trough one last time a few evenings later but much to the surprise of both of them, Great Blue didn’t lift off as it had done so many other times but instead got caught up in the web.<\/p>\n
\u201cKwaaark, KWAAARK!\u201d Its indignation was clear.<\/p>\n
Jim, who isn’t anything if not always prepared, trotted down to the trough with a smirk.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey big fella, not so smart now are you?\u201d And remaining mindful of the very large, snapping yellow beak quickly and deftly wrapped Great Blue up in the oversized dog blanket he kept in the back of the truck.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood grief,\u201d Jim gagged. \u201cYour breath\u2026.it\u2019s awful! Quit breathing on me!\u201d\u00a0 The foul and lingering fishy stench emanating from the bird\u2019s gullet was revolting.<\/p>\n
After tossing the bird-in-a-blanket into the back of the pickup, quickly slamming the tailgate and securing the canopy top, Jim drove to another family ranch closer to the beach.\u00a0 It is very rugged there with meadows and spruce groves, a stream and a clear view of the beach below; a veritable dream come true for any heron.\u00a0 Jim didn’t have long to wait before Great Blue jumped out of the now open pickup bed and after briefly preening the light gray wispy plumes at the base of his long neck and along his back, \u00a0flew off.<\/p>\n
Settling back into the driver\u2019s seat and feeling particularly smart and \u201cone-with-nature\u201d, Jim headed home.\u00a0 It was almost dark by the time he returned and with one fleeting glimpse at the trough had to accept complete defeat.\u00a0 There, standing above the trough, as motionless and patient as ever was Great Blue.\u00a0 Completely undaunted, it returned faster than Jim could even drive back.<\/p>\n
Only the smart fish survived Great Blue\u2019s assault and they were transplanted with the koi in the new pond some months later.\u00a0 Since then, their little band has alternately flourished and declined from subsequent tangles with raccoon, bear and even a bald eagle.\u00a0 \u00a0We do our best to keep them safe but Mother Nature, never sentimental, has provided all living things with a will to survive which can sometimes mean fish for dinner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cI think something is eating the fish,\u201d I mentioned to my husband. \u201cYou know, I was wondering about that.\u201d Jim mused.\u00a0 \u201cLast few times I checked on them there didn’t seem to be nearly as many and I haven\u2019t been … Continue reading