Heron

When I googled "heron" it said that the species most prevalent in Canada is the Great Blue Heron, which can be found from Nova Scotia to Alberta, with a large concentration in Prince Edward Island, the great blue heron capital of North America.  It stands anywhere from 3.2 to 4.5 feet tall and its wings span spreads anywhere from 5.5 to 6.6 feet.  The great blue heron, a colonial nester, builds stick nests, 1 metre in diameter, in the treetops.  The largest known colony of nests in P.E.I. was recorded at 507 in 1997.  The large bird arrives in Canada in the late March and departs in the late fall.  Great blue herons are expert fishers, swallowing their prey whole.  They live on average 15 years.

Alex Colville's Heron circa 1977 courtesy https://www.consignor.ca/artwork/AW26854.

Tanka: Five Flowing Lines

A tanka, also known as a waka or uta, is a Japanese poem of five lines and 31 syllables.  It is similar to a haiku, but has two additional lines.

Line 1:  5 syllables
Line 2:  7 syllables
Line 3:  5 syllables
Line 4:  7 syllables
Line 5:  7 syllables

Here is a famous tanka written by a Japanese poet from 850 AD named Ono No Komachi.

The colour of the cherry blossom

Has faded in vain

In the long rain

While in idle thoughts

I have spent my life.

http://www.cbfhawaii.com/sites/default/files/Blooming-Pink-Cherry-Blossom-pink-color-34590866-1600-1200.jpg

Here is Great Blue Heron by Thomas Martin:

I must tell you this bird:

long, thin legs, sharp beak

wading in a dappled stream

grayish blue, at home in Cypress

Curving skyward through Spanish moss.

http://ridgefieldbirds.com/Images08Feb/RNWR_great_blue_heron_02-03-08.jpg

For more information on how to write a tanka, visit http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Tanka-Poem.