Notes on Good Harbor Beach November Sunrise
One morning in late November I followed the elusive Great Blue Heron up and down the length of the salt marsh creek while a stunning sunrise unfolded in the background. The dance of the lone heron feeding was as hauntingly beautiful as is the ebb and flow of Fauré’s “Pavane” through its series of musical climaxes, and seemed perfectly choreographed to the intensely focused movements of the heron.
Earlier in the month of November I had filmed three herons feeding simultaneously—the most I typically see at Good Harbor are two at a time. That footage is lost, and perhaps it is just as well because it may not have been the most interesting as the focal length was some distance in order to capture all three in the frame. I found it captivating to see this lone heron feeding alongside the seagulls and ducks, not an event I have often observed. Whenever a dog approached or some other imagined disturbance startled the birds, all would take flight; the seagulls and ducks dispersed and the heron invariably headed to the opposite end of the marsh. This went on for several hours, back and forth, up and down the salt marsh. The Great Blue Heron is majestic in flight, with deep powerful wing beats, and a wingspan of five and a half feet to six and a half feet. Oftentimes difficult to find in the cameras’ lens, the heron’s subdued blue-gray and brown plumage is perfect camouflage against the rocky shoreline, particularly in the pre-dawn light and early hours of sunrise.
I looked for the herons again after that late date of November 29th, but I think they had all departed for warmer shores further south.
If you stay until the end, look for a funny clip after the credits have rolled. I couldn’t figure out how to make this most ordinary of body functions fit with the heron’s beautiful dance.
“Pavane in F-sharp minor, Opus 50,” was composed by Gabriel Fauré in 1887. Fauré’s “Pavane” obtains it slow processional rhythm from the Spanish and Italian court dance of the same name. The earliest known pavane was published in Venice in 1508 by Ottaviano Putrucci and is a dignified partner dance. The original music seems to have been fast, but like many dances, became slower over time. For this film I looked for a recording approximately 8 minutes in length, although Fauré’s “Pavane” is more typically six minutes long. The origin of the term is unknown; possibilities include from the Spanish pavón meaning peacock.
Your work is fabulous, Blood pressure dropped 10 point! Thanks!
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Thank you Tom–that is a really sweet thing to say.
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Kim,
Magnificent! Your films get better and better. It’s a thrill to watch your artistry grow and blossom.
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Thank you Marty—I very much appreciate your comment–means much.
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That was great from start to finish. Beautiful. Any idea what the Heron was eating? Looked like smelt to me…
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Thank you spinncongnito–I have no idea the precise species of fish but would be great to know. I’ve read they eat amphibians as well, and even small birds.
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My husband and I (former Gloucester natives now living in Oregon) really enjoyed your film. Husband who is a man of few words said that the Good Harbor “creek” is one of his favorite places on this earth. Wonderful work.
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Thank you for writing Donna. I never thought about the creek that way but think too it is on of my most favorite places on earth!
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Your wrk is outstanding Kim
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Thank you Pat–we are so blessed to live in such an inspiringly beautiful place!
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