DURHAM -- The adolescent blue heron stretched its wings, tottered on the edge of a dead tree limb and spent a moment debating whether to fly.
A few hundred yards away, the heron had more than a dozen humans mesmerized and watching through binoculars to see whether the bird would decide to take the all-important step from nest to air.
"This is like a 16-year-old with a driver's license," said Kim Smart, a volunteer on the day hike to see the blue heron rookery off a trail near Ellerbe Creek. The crowd murmured in agreement.
Suspense hung heavy in the air as the young heron lunged his long neck forward. Could the bird do it? Was he ready?
Oh, he thinks he can, another hiker piped up.
After a few more test flaps of his wings, the heron pushed past his watching parents and settled back into the nest. Monday just wasn't the day.
The natural rite of passage was the highlight of a morning walk hosted by the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association, a nonprofit group that aims to preserve the creek that runs through Durham's urban core into Falls Lake.
The group led Memorial Day hikes to the blue heron rookery, a subdivision of sorts for the birds, including an early morning guide by two birding experts as well as a more casual outing later in the morning.
The rookery, situated on land owned by the city of Durham, is home for an estimated 50 to 60 herons that perch on the tops of tall pines in a swampy area near the creek. The trails that lead to it are maintained and owned by the watershed association, said Larry Brockman, a board member the group. The 82-acre area, off of Glennstone Drive near Falls Lake, is open to the public and accessible year-round.
The creek is considered one of the most troublesome for the state-mandated cleanup of Falls Lake, which provides drinking water for Raleigh and surrounding communities.
Falls Lake has been polluted from an excess of nutrients in the water mostly caused by the effects of rainwater runoff and development from its expansive watershed. The Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association has bought several tracts of land around Durham to preserve the creek. The group has carved nature trails for residents to use.
The hikers walked down to the creek Monday before visiting the rookery and saw water running briskly through the wooded area. Cynthie Kulstead, who led the hike, explained that the creek was considered polluted.
But on the banks of the Ellerbe, there were no outward signs of pollution, and the creek appeared strong and clean.
Events such as Monday's hike are a way of getting people out to see the beauty of the area, Brockman said. His hope is that more people will get involved in trying to help preserve the watershed.
"We try to get it so that the neighborhood feels ownership over these urban oases," Brockman said. "We want to preserve land so that people can interact with it."
