A few weeks ago, I was walking along the creek on Farragut Drive and saw a great blue heron perched on a rooftop. The homeowner was outside and I introduced myself as someone who writes about neighborhood history. I asked her why that bird hangs out on her roof. The story was much more interesting than I was expecting.
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| James, the great blue heron, on Renee's roof. |
My neighbor's name is Renee (not her real name), but she is better known as Dr. Dolittle of the Jungle.
Last year, Renee moved from her apartment on Treasure Island to her new home on Farragut Drive. As an animal lover, she was especially sad about leaving a friend behind, a great blue heron that she had named James.
James had a history with the apartment complex and he spent a lot of time hanging out there. On one occasion, residents freed him when he became tangled in a fishing line.
To relax after a hard day's work, Renee went fishing from the dock at the apartments. The first time she tried fishing there, she brought an open bait bucket of shrimp. She noticed a great blue heron inching closer to her on the dock. She continued fishing until she began running low on bait, but thought "I haven't been fishing that long, why is my bait bucket low?" Eventually, she figured out that the heron had been sneaking into the bucket when she was looking the other way.
Renee returned the next day with a new, covered bait bucket, but the heron continued to follow her. Renee tossed the first ladyfish catch of the day to the heron. This fishing ritual continued for months as the heron, whom she named James, learned to wait near the parking lot for the sound of Renee's Jeep. Then he followed her to the dock.
But when Renee moved to her new house on Farragut Drive about a mile away, the afternoon fishing came to an end and James was left wondering where his friend had gone.
A few weeks after moving into her new home, Renee called a friend at the apartment complex. "You'll never guess who showed up at my house – James!" He was perched on her roof, about a mile from the apartment complex where they first met. Renee says that James recognized her Jeep.
Nowadays, James spends a lot of time on Renee's roof and she rewards him once a day with a fish from the market.
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| James on the bank of the creek |
At her new home, Dr. Dolittle of the Jungle has made some new friends, too – a dog named Abby, a cat named Troy and the wildlife in the creek – egrets, ibises, herons, anhingas, ospreys, storks, peacocks, roseate spoonbills, ducks, turtles...
One day while walking Abby, a neighbor called out to Renee. "Do you realize that bird is following you?" Sure enough, there was James the great blue heron following several steps behind as they walked on Farragut Drive. There goes Dr. Dolittle of the Jungle – walking with the animals.
Publisher's note: This story is true. Respecting her privacy, I chose to not use the neighbor's real name. However, James is the real name of the great blue heron.
