Parallels

A night heron and a tugboat, what could they have in common? I put the link in the previous sentence because I’ve no good photos of the heron with his neck retracted. A little farther down is a night heron with his neck extended. But first, look closely at the wheelhouse of Odin.

 

Here’s a slightly closer view that clearly shows the hydraulic ram under the wheelhouse that could lift the helmsman up over an empty barge. The container ship in the background, Hyundai Garnet, convenience flagged in Singapore, seems to want to identify the “tiny” 72-foot Odin passing to port.

 

Cheyenne, below and in this link from Tug44, also has a retractable wheelhouse that can be raised or lowered. At this link, compare the position of Cheyenne‘s wheelhouse with Crow’s.

Oh, the retracted head of the night heron? It’s a fishing strategy. Compare the extended neck here with the retracted one in the link above.

 

At their peril, small fish swim by thinking the bird has much less neck range than it does.

All photos by Will Van Dorp.