Blue heron puts on show at Lake Erie

Last week, I went to the best place in Ohio to find fun in the sun: Lake Erie.

I went there with my friends to fish for walleye. We sweated for the fish we caught because the temperature was close to 90 degrees and there was no breeze to speak of.

I grew up 40 miles from Lake Erie, and I have been on the big lake many times. I’ve never seen it that calm.

Even though conditions were tough, we had pretty good luck, and each of us caught enough fish for three good meals. My wife treated me like a conquering hero. She loves walleye.

Walleye fillets sell for $15 a pound in the area around Lake Erie.

But the end of the fishing portion of the trip didn’t end our entertainment at the lake. A surprise was waiting for us at the marina.

As we neared the boat dock, we noticed a large great blue heron perched on one of the posts supporting the dock.

The bird watched us intently, and I couldn’t understand why it didn’t fly off. Blue herons typically are skittish, but this one remained steadfast as we unloaded the boat.

As we carried the cooler full of fish to the cleaning station, the heron flew right along with us and landed next to the station.

I told myself, “That bird’s behavior is strange.”

Seconds later, a great egret and a small flock of herring gulls joined the party.

Birds were coming in from everywhere, and the scene looked like something in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie “The Birds.”

When the fish cleaners began throwing scraps, the blue heron walked to the largest piece and picked it up in its huge beak. Then it walked to a nearby creek and washed it in the water before gobbling it down. That was so comical.

The heron was clearly the leader of this mixed flock because all the other birds waited for the heron to grab a scrap before scrambling for their own. Herons stand about 4.5 feet tall and look imposing.

There must have been 10 fishermen watching the show. The cleaners should have sold popcorn.

Another thing about that day that impressed me was that we all caught a lot of walleye that were too small to keep. The charter captain told us that is evidence of recent successful spring hatches.

Those hatches mean that the fun we had on that trip to the lake will continue in the future. That is, if we don’t screw it up.

How fortunate Ohioans are to be able to spend a day in the sun on Lake Erie.