As a wildlife photographer, it is not uncommon to be up before dawn and on the road in search of subjects to photograph.  In the past, if I was going to photograph Herons, I had two or three destination spots; Parker Wildlife Reserve in Newburyport MA, or any of the multitude of brackish backwaters along the coast between Salisbury MA and Rye NH. Either one of these locations guaranteed seeing a  Herons. However, hitting these spots in good light means being on the road before 4 am as they are about a two hour drive from my home in Vermont.

Recently, while taking the "no longer a secret" back road to avoid traffic on the busiest road in town, a Green Heron flew in front of me and into the tall phragmites that line part of this road. I knew there was a wetlands back there, but had never bothered to check it out because it backs right up to a strip of stores, and a stone crushing operation. Intrigued I turned around, and found an unremarkable little marsh that has turned out to be a treasure trove of wildlife.

This marsh is not covered in beautiful lily's, it is littered with tires, and trash that has blown out of the dumpsters behind the mall. Yet the brackish waters support large numbers of ; Green Herons, Blue Herons, Wood Ducks, Mallards, Muskrats, and Belted Kingfishers.

The Phragmites hold Red Winged Black Bird Nests, and are an evening roost for hundreds of sparrows and blackbirds. The wildlife seems to have become accustomed to noise and movement due to the constant passing of delivery trucks. This has resulted in normally wary Herons being tolerant of my moving into better positions.

I wonder how many other "little gems" are out there.  I intend to find out !!