Featuring stunning photography, Mr. Blue invites children into the vibrant world of a Great Blue Heron. The story of Mr. Blue delights, engages, and educates children about his playful personality and natural habitat. Fishing in a pond, balancing on one leg, and playing hide-and-seek are just some of the activities Mr. Blue can do while spending the day at his pond. Join him on the banks of his pond as you explore the watery world of this amazing bird.
I always ask children why they think Mr. Blue carries the fish up the hill? This allows the child to brainstorm and actually think about what they are reading. Mr. Blue will swallow a tiny fish at the ponds edge. However, if the fish is large, he carries it away from the pond. Perhaps he has learned from experience that if he lets go of the fish to close to the water it will escape and swim away.
I am often asked if Mr. Blue still comes to my pond. I believe so! Adult Great Blue Herons look alike. However, the Great Blue Heron I see has his favorite fishing spots and comes at certain times during the day. When I photographed Mr. Blue he was a juvenile. This bird is full grown. His speckled neck is now a solid grey and he has beautiful plumes. He doesn't allow me to get as close any more but I still manage to take some nice photos. #GreatBlueHeron
Children don't miss a thing. They always ask what is sticking up in the water when they see this picture. What you see are sticks. Mr. Blue plays with sticks a lot! This is good practice because eventually he will gather sticks to build a nest.
I love going to schools and interacting with children. They will stand up on one leg. It is fun to see who wobbles first. Usually, it is me. Teachers are sometimes horrified when the students stand up out of their chairs. I assure them that I don't mind at all. We have a lot of fun together!
Did you know that Great Blue Herons are a symbol for resilience? Once they were on the edge of extinction. As a survivor myself, I have great admiration for these birds.
Mr. Blue is very good at camouflage, I am shocked that a bird four or five feet tall can hide so easily. I know several local spots where I can find Great Blue Herons. Look closely, you just might find a Great Blue Heron in your own backyard.
I love this photo. I have been asked several times why the trees are upside down. I then explain to them that the trees are a reflection in the water. Look at my front cover. Did you know that picture is a reflection too?
Every time Mr. Blue flies toward the pond, I get so excited I shake the camera and the picture is blurred. I actually crept up behind him on this day. I was surprised how close I was able to get.
Children really love this picture. They always laugh when they see these bushy looking eyebrows. I enjoy telling children that they are really feathers, called plumes. It is always a successful day, when you can teach children something new about our world.
One morning a small orange cat crept up on Mr. Blue. After all, he is a bird. This made me laugh so hard, I forgot to take a picture. Mr. Blue was not humored and he flew to the other side of the pond.
I was always amused watching this bird. Whenever he finished a meal, he would return to the pond for a drink of water. If you look closely at this photo, you will see a drop of water at the end of his beak.
I have watched Mr. Blue for over two years and this is the only time I have seen him kneeling. At the time I was writing the book, I just assumed he was resting. If you have any information about this behavior, I would love to hear from you. It is interesting to see how his knees bend opposite from ours.
When Mr. Blue would catch a large fish, he would carry it away from the water. If the fish was small he would eat it immediately. So why does he carry the fish up the hill? The larger fish are to hard for him to swallow whole. If he put it on the ground next to the pond, it would escape and his meal would be gone.
Mr. Blue is always patient. He will watch the water for hours. However, when he moves he is very agile. His timing is precise and he will often get a nice big catfish.
It really amazed me how easily he could twist his neck in any direction. He was also able to watch me at all times.
I fell in love with a Great Blue Heron that lives in my backyard. I wrote a simple story for the precious girls I babysit. When people read the book they encouraged me to have it published. I am so thankful I took their advice.
I was really amazed at the height of this bird. I am only five feet tall and his head came up to my chest.
I loved this photo because Mr. Blue is looking intently at a turtle that is swimming up to the surface to look at him. http://priscillawhitaker.com/
Mr. Blue allowed me to get very close to him. I was standing right behind him when he took off flying. I just love this photo! #Greatblueheron
I fell in love with this beautiful Great Blue Heron came to visit a pond near my home. After taking hundreds of photos I wrote a simple story for the girls I babysit.
I fell in love with a Great Blue Heron that came to visit a pond behind my home. I took hundreds of pictures of him. Then I wrote a story to share with the girls I babysit.
Click Follow to receive emails when this author adds content on Bublish