For many students driving to and from McLean, the appearance of a dead creature of considerable size on the sidewalk bordering Westmoreland across from Kirby Park was nothing short of startling.
The creature, which upon closer inspection appeared to be some sort of heron, was over two feet long.
Its long, skinny neck arched back gracefully into the grass. It had a beak that was lengthy and pointed, and its straight, bony legs splayed over the gray concrete. One wing was tucked up and one was extended into the air towards the middle of the sidewalk. Its body was sizable and could be seen quite clearly even from the far side of the road.
Most pedestrian passerby gave it little notice despite its size and notable appearance, and the bird remained on the sidewalk for over three days. Students driving and walking saw it on Monday, October 28th and took note. Herons, after all, despite their prevalence on the East Coast are not oft seen in McLean, miles and miles away from the sorts of semi-aquatic environments they are normally partial to.
“My friend pointed it out to me on the way home,” freshman Kunkie Barshee said. “It was really weird and random. I didn’t even know there were birds like that around here.”
The appearance of this dead heron brings with it many questions. Where did it come from? How did it die? Why was it in McLean at all? While the heron itself is now long gone, as long as these questions are unanswered, the mystery of the dead heron will remain.
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