I enjoy sitting in the many parks and green areas of the Netherlands. The park Zaanse Schans is very close to my home. It is located in an area with wooden windmills and has a lot of green space, many canals and a river. There, you can see a lot of birds, in addition to the occasional grazing sheep or goat. On my last visit to Zaanse Schans, I chose to take some pictures of a particular species of bird called the Great Blue Heron. I often see this bird all over Amsterdam, even in the middle of the business center of the city!
The Great Blue Heron often has blue and white feathers, but sometimes you can find some of them with gray and black feathers. They normally have long necks and a strip going from their beak to somewhere on their wings. They also have two long legs, which they use to wade into the water without getting all wet. I have seen them fly, swim and dip underwater. Sometimes they get really close to me when I am sitting in the park.
I have seen this kind of bird before in the U.S., and I used to feel amazed every time I saw them. I felt like they were very rare and special. I saw my first Great Blue Heron in the Netherlands within my first few days of being in the country. I was surprised and so excited! All the old feelings came back again!
