I’ve been obsessed with the feathers of great blue herons for nearly a decade. I’ve always been attracted to feathers, in general, but the magic of heron feathers has overtaken all other plumeage interest and I’ll do anything to get my hands on the darn things.
It all began about 8 years ago when I was on a climbing trip with my boyfriend at the time, we’ll call him Igor. We were in Whiterock, BC for a few days and decided to canoe a small river that spit itself out into the ocean just off the coastline of the mainland. As we were paddling along, I noticed a great blue heron standing on the edge of the riverbank, Igor mentioned the fact that their feathers were supposedly gorgeous. It was like music to my ears, I commanded Igor to paddle harder and we made our way to the edge of the bank only to find that it was made of cattails and other, general riparian vegetation that made it impossible for me to make my way to where feathers might have been found. I’ve been nearly driven mad by the elusive heron feathers of my life ever since. This is all to say that besides all the OTHER reasons Igor and I didn’t work out (namely the fact that I was still madly in love with the dashing mountain man I’m now married to) we broke up because Igor failed to help me secure the plumes of the great blue heron.
HARUMPH.
Some fellows just aren’t up for the task at hand.
When RW and I lived in Arizona, at the nearby Southern tip of Lake Havasu, there was a great blue heron nesting sanctuary. It was amazing! Most unfortunately, humans were not allowed to trespass on the terra firma of the little island that tended to be aflutter with heron wings and squawking babeletts. I occasionally dream about how many feathers I could have collected from that little sanctuary…I wake up in hot panics.
But. Let me tell you, where Igor failed me (specifically in the heron feather realm in this situation I speak of), RW has conquered once again! Over the weekend, whilst fishing a wee reservoir on the upper Portneuf River, we looked West from my little yellow canoe towards shore and spotted a great blue heron. I whispered to RW, “Take me to shore. Right there. I must see if there are heron feathers to claim…”
He obliged.
And I found heron feathers;
the first of my sad little heron feather hunting life.
They truly are spectacular. I tried to capture the color and sheen for you but I failed miserably. MISERABLY. They are of the palest greys and silvery blues — somewhat like the walls in my living room and bedroom. Subtle coloring.
As if by magic.
I’ve been turning them over in my hands all day long, thinking about what I’ll do with them, thinking about how precious they are to me.
In the grand and worldly scheme of things, they are nothing, they are without value.
To me, they’re soft and perfect beacons of hope,
RW helped me find them,
they make my heart light,
capturing them in this world has been a quest
they are, to me, the holy grail of feather collecting. I love them so.
RW will read this and he’ll be annoyed that I even mentioned Igor in the first place — there’s a bit of bad blood there…though I can’t imagine why since the better man got the girl! HA! Sorry husband. Don’t be angry. Do a touchdown dance instead…
This is all to say, while fishing on the weekend, I didn’t catch a single fish
but I did find something I’ve been dreaming
of for quite some time.
Do you have a quest?
Besides finding the perfect pair of jeans or comfortable, black ballet flats?
What is there, out there in the world, out there in the nest of nature, that speaks to you more than anything else? Are you actively seeking it or are you able to find it every day?
*A patch of lady slippers.
*A perfect pussy willow branch.
*A hummingbird or kingfisher sighting.
*A whopper walleye caught at the base of a glorious set of rapids in the Canadian North.
*The perfectly braided lightning strike.
*A sunset.
*A finger crack that follows a beautiful line up the face of a granite wall — it burns your fingertips so bad but there’s so much pleasure found in clinging to it and climbing it — there’s so much joy to be felt in that moment when you defeat gravity.
What’s your quest?
Just wondering….
xx
P.
I am on a perpetual quest to find a baby octopus in a tide pool. Some day, when the fates align, it will happen. There is a sea cave in Big Sur and I've heard that the octopuses live there, in those pools, but it is only accessible at the lowest of tides, which only occur a handful of times in a year. I keep hoping.
Tadpoles.
Common, yes. But I get so excited when I see them in a little marsh, so inky and shiny.
I could watch them for HOURS.
Fireflies.
A bitty baby hummingbird emerging from its itsy bitsy egg. I'm sure I can see it on YouTube, but I want to see it in a teeny little nest with my own blue/grey eyes…with no Igor lurking in the shadows.
stacey.. awesome quest! i have found one 🙂 on the west coast of vancouver island… watch the moon for the tides!
i had a short quest, while visting texas.. to see an armadillo. and since we went to the FW zoo.. not only did i see one but i *held* one in the petting zoo.
i would LOVE to see the moment when the itty bitty squeeky wrens come out of their nest. i have seen parent wrens going back and forth with bugs and i have heard the babies inside the birdhouse.. but never have i managed to see them emerge!
Good gracious.
I knew this would happen.
I'm inspired to begin a handful of new quests besides my current and outstanding quests….excellent.
I love every single one of your comments. LOVE.
An avocado on the tree. I would spoon out a delicate sample of flesh, then make the most delectable milkshake imaginable, with milk, green tea, and vanilla.
EGADZZZZZZ!!!!!!!
EXCELLENT quests…..!!!
Heart-shaped rocks.
Sandstone, Granite, quartzite, limestone, gneiss.
I sneak them into my pockets and backpack, or sometimes into my husband's backpack, which, despite the romantic sentiment, he usually does NOT appreciate. (Because rocks, regardless of shape, are heavy.)
I just love them. And I think they love me back.
Heart-shaped rocks.
Sandstone, Granite, quartzite, limestone, gneiss.
I sneak them into my pockets and backpack, or sometimes into my husband's backpack, which, despite the romantic sentiment, he usually does NOT appreciate. (Because rocks, regardless of shape, are heavy.)
I just love them. And I think they love me back.
Heart-shaped rocks.
Sandstone, Granite, quartzite, limestone, gneiss.
I sneak them into my pockets and backpack, or sometimes into my husband's backpack, which, despite the romantic sentiment, he usually does NOT appreciate. (Because rocks, regardless of shape, are heavy.)
I just love them. And I think they love me back.
oh my… you have drawn me out as I am a lurker for quite some time now… but I must say… I too have a quest. Much like Lizzy I MUST have an avocado fresh from a tree… i almost got one… on horseback a friendly farmer allowed me to pluck one from his tree… thanks to my equine friend I was able to pick the best and juiciest of the bunch. I cherished that avocado for hours as we gallivanted through the southern California wilderness. I treasured it, I cradled it as we traversed miles on our faithful steads, I had no pockets, no saddle bags and so it rested in my hand, the warm, delicious treat I waited to savor. Alas, two miles from home my companion decided to start a joyous gallop over hill and dale without first notifying me… as my mount jolted forward I released my dear prize in order to stay aboard. It smashed in the dirt and was trampled by spirited equine hooves. I still mourn for that delicious avocado. You heron story gave me hope that I might be able to realize my silly little dream of eating an avocado warmed by the sun.
A perfect, river polished piece of pounamu. I spent a lot of time picking rocks out of new zealand river eddies, but haven't found one yet….. a good reason to go back, don't ya think??
plumey – one of my big quests is eating the fruits i love off the tree – i loved that in new zealand i could eat sun-ripened lemons off the tree. AMAZING. actually i could just eat lemons right off the tree every day and be completely happy. i really don't know what my other quests would be – i'll think on it. i love the heron feathers.
xoxo
Little Miss Plumage, you are swell and fetching!
I will someday find a patch of fresh morel mushroom of all different sizes, standing erect, ready for me to eat them. There will be no need for identification, I already know that's what they are, superb.
I also seek to photograph baby antelope in the fields of Montana, early spring. They are THE cutest thing I have ever seen. I swear their legs are toothpicks!
And I always look for rocks (FLRs, funny looking rocks, as G-pa Hawk said) and feathers too!!!!!
xoxo,
KLF
Jillian, my eyes are full of mirth…but I could not laugh aloud, as tonight is a diaysis night and so—my sweet old girl is sleeping in the other room.
This story—your quest for your feathery grail, as it were, appeals.
And, so I will tell you…I would like to soar with one!
A great blue heron that is!
One, special bird in particular. I'm confidant that if I ever get my flight—that my fine blue friend will oblige me the gift of a feather just for you!
My special blue heron friend resides up at my beloved Harmony Bay (our family cabins), on the mighty Upper Ottawa River, on the class 5-6 whitewater there. Water I've been paddling since I was all of 6 years old.
I met this great bird a few years ago—now. They tend to span about 17-18 years…and I'm thinking this one is now quite elderly.
It is not unusual to find me, of a summer's evening, tossing my kayak into the drink, to paddle 45 minutes up-river…to meet my Blue Heron friend. He waits for me on a particularly lovely rocky outcropping. We've often sat…together…we two contenedly—watching the night come on.
We both particularly loved—the nights of falling stars, when they seemed—-to dive and crash and burn on the water between us…
Amazing really.
So…I feel your soulful need for these lovely feathers. And, my own lofty desire, would indeed by to take off with that lovely creature—for a night-soar…
He has performed some remarkable take-offs—-only yards away…so close the spray of the water from his wings–danced across my skin.
Good night to you eh!…
good grief. sorry about that. i somehow posted the long-winded comment of mine twice. sorry for the delete;)
Oh Plume, what a lovely quest! And even better that your RW helped you achieve it.
I achieved one of my big quests, I spent years obsessed and in love with wolves. Even lived with a man who had one, and she became so dear to me. But the lesson there was I did not need a man who had a wolf, I could have my own. And so she found me, three years later, walked across a crowded room full of people, legs, feet, as a 3 month old wold pup. She weaved her way through that forest of human leg trunks and found me. And she was everything I ever hoped for in wolfpup and more. It is such a beautiful thing to achieve your quest. A true miracle.
I wish you happy searching for whatever it is you pick as your next quest.
mine {has been} Barn Owl feathers … and i have just found some!!! in fact, they are probably, this very moment, winging their way from the UK to the Golden Gate, and from a lovely moulted lady named Plop!
oh, i can't wait to hold them in my hand …
yours ARE magical!
I want to come really close to a fawn. Maybe it won't see me and I'll get to watch it for a few moments. My heart explodes when I see one from the car window.
You are wonderful.
rainbows like the ones in the southwest….I want them here in Vermont…..
what a beautiful post and now, of course i am intrigued with these feathers and must see them for myself!
my quest-since i collect abandoned nests-is to find a hummingbird nest. *sigh*
Four things I long to see, hear, do:
The Aurora Borealis.
Wolves howling.
Loons calling.
Tornado chasing.
In the meantime, I seek:
Smooth stones that sit in the hand just right.
The sight of my dogs running.
My cat's smile.
Breeze as cool exhalation following a thunderstorm.
Here are mine:
* To climb a great rock and view the great plains below
* To sleep in the rain in a valley of wildflowers
* To hold the Lorelei
* To touch a lioness in the wild
* To step in a place where to human has ever wandered for 100's of miles
Good GRIEF!!!!
You've all mentioned such wonderful quests (except for Lou who I think looks LOVELY…such a peach…). Thank you SO much for sharing! I'm so INSPIRED by you all this morning, and your glorious, glinting souls!!!
GOOD DAY TO YOU ALL!!!
Let's be extraordinary!
Nothing else will do!
xx
I began a collection of rocks and soil from around the world, collected during my travels abroad. I'm hoping to get sand or rock from at least one country on every continent.
I'm also on a quest to fill the walls, from floor to ceiling, of my house with books I've read and not just books that look pretty or that one should have on a coffee table for the occassional guest to busy themselves with. I want a fantastical collection of stories – stories of tragedy, of good humor, of redemption, of growth, of soul, of laughter, of life.
I also collect recipes – I love the sharing of recipes, the passing of family traditions from one to the next, so I'm constantly on the lookout for more.
humpback whales. I will never grow tired of glimpses of them – a scarred fluke here and a blowhole there. But my ultimate quest is to share their ocean space and run my fingers along their barnacle-crusted skin.
There are other quests, to be sure, but they haven't been feeding my dreams since childhood and don't make me all misty at the mere thought. Oh, humpbacks.
OH HUMPBACKS!!!!!!!
…siiiiiighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…………………
Oops, I was distracted by your wonderfulness ha! My quest is to camp at Ispuchaw Lake at this one campsite that is hidden in the forest and faces the lake. Three years in a row I have tried and three years in a row someone has been there. Next year…cross your fingers!
THEY ARE CROSSED!!!!!!!!!
My toes too!
🙂
The long gaze you hold with a wild creature who unexpectedly stumbles upon you in the woods – that moment of fierce eye contact.
Vertebrae (this one gets a little messy)
The glow of pre-dusk on rare days when the lighting turns surreal and the colors all seem flipped on their heads. (The lights in the Tree)
To sing the manatees out into the open [again]. It happened once in Florida, standing on a low bridge, singing to them, until they appeared and swam down the length of the channel to play in the water below my feet.
This post made me smile! I have two cockatiels, one butter-yellow and one dusty grey. I keep most of their feathers, they are tucked around all over the house. I stick them in my fiancé's suitcase when he travels. The prize feathers are from their tiny orange cheek patches. I am constantly looking for birds of prey circling the skies.
My quest is to photograph and write the Big Bend of Texas. Shreve at the Daily Coyote and the Noisy Plume are my heroes and inspiration. I am leaving my sensible job, renting out my home in Denver and moving to Alpine Texas in two weeks. I have dreamed of this for years and it is all falling into place. Trust the universe. And… I WANT that belt!
Beautlful. BEAUTIFUL quests.
I know firsthand what magic the blue heron can bestow. During a lunch break while on a rafting trip down the Klamath, I spotted a heron in a tree. As I watched, it shed a long flight (wingtip) feather and then flew away. I dashed up the bank and found the huge -more that a foot long-beautiful feather, all mysterious blue/grey and wonderful.
I didn't have a way to carry it safely, so I stuck it in the back of my husband's ballcap like a flag or an "Indian" feather. Soon after, he went overboard in a rapid and was sucked under the boat. All I saw was the sole of his shoe thrashing in the water. Thank God our guide managed to grab the shoe and deliver the whole man back into our boat. He was very shaken but OK. The feather, of course, was gone.
The next time we stopped, a girl from another boat went wading and found the feather, not pristine and perfect anymore, but. It had drifted down with our rafting group. She brought it to us, saying that it was definitely meant for us. It has a special home in our bedroom, along with 2 beautiful barn owl tail feathers.
The barn owl is my totem – I listen for her weird call (like a metallic bat!) each night and am never quite at ease until I hear her.
Clearly, the blue heron is my man's totem.
oh such joy and light-heartedness in reading of these quests! 🙂
*to discover where the hummingbirds are raising their babies (we have a pair of hummingbirds… who only come one at a time while one tends the elusive nest). my eyes can never follow these birds through the dragonflies keeping busy in the evening. too many beautiful things at once 😉
*tiny tiny shells.
i've found what look like miniature replicas of shells… they're no bigger than a mustard seed. i cherish these itty bitties and lay on the beach for hours looking and hoping.
*often quests happen in the moment. with the flicker of an idea they might ignite into a MUST DO. MUST SEE. MUST EXPERIENCE
… and how could they not, in a world full of wonder?
onward with the quests!
xo,
Lynsey
OH MY GOSH.
Barnowls.
And I agree, Lyns, quests are often spontaneous for me as well….half the time, that's what makes a successful quest so magical.
miss Plume,
just a little thank you:
http://mypublicprivatediary.blogspot.com/2010/08/inspiration-quest-re-thenoisyplume.html
thanks for all your wonderfulness 🙂
xo,
Lynsey