When the world gets confusing it is wise to go to a sacred and safe place. Yesterday felt like one of those days, so Chester and I headed out to the rookery on the edge of Willow Lake here in Prescott. Great blue herons and cormorants are nesting there now.

This place is lively and serene at the same time. The birds are hunkered down in enormous nests in tall cottonwoods, at the edge of a lake that is no more than a series of pools at this time of year.

The rookery lies on a peninsula that is often inaccessible by foot so I have kayaked it in other years. This year, the water is low, filled with ducks, frogs and fish, and the trail leads to a cathedral-like setting, perfect for taking a private moment for reflection.

In addition to making a photographic study of it this spring, I brought my iPod along yesterday to record the sounds of the rookery. Following are three audio files (mp3 format), if you would like to give a listen. A word of caution, I don’t have a podcast and these are my first efforts at using sound files to the blog.

Hike to the cormorant rookery.

Part two of the cormorants.

The heron rookery in the wind.

In a few weeks, the eggs will have hatched, and later, in 60 days or so, the baby birds may be visible.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download