With only two locks to go in our Great Loop adventure, I must include “The story of a crane, two coons and three crows.” As we began our descent in one of the recent locks, we noticed that a large crane (blue heron) had taken a lookout stance on the upper ridge of the lock gate that had just closed behind us. Three crows soon took their places on the inner face of the gate just below the heron. All four birds looked extremely serious. Over the VHF radio came the lockmaster’s voice. He explained that “George”, the blue heron, had become a daily visitor to the lock. An opportunist by nature, he was looking for tasty morsels such as fish that often get beached on the lock gate or the sill beneath the gate as the water plunges down and out. Along with the crows, George is sometimes joined by raccoons who nimbly climb down the repair/rescue ladder to the sill beneath the gate! It is our experience that lockmasters are only glimpsed as they perform their duties and they only repond to questions or give brief instructions concerning operation of the lock. To have this lockmaster share a piece of his daily life in which he obviously takes great delight was a rare treat. What a blessing for us all.
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| George looking for tasty morsels |
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| Crows ever hopeful |
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| Turkey vultures waiting for their turn Created by Darcy O Campbell |
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