Patch editors give back to their communities through volunteering, especially on "Give 5 Day."

For my "Give 5" contribution Thursday, I e-mailed Nancy Jones of the Blue Heron Nature Preserve, who said she had a task for me to carry out. The entrance to the nature center's trail along Nancy Creek is being improved, and Nancy said I could come by and help prepare the site for work being done this weekend.

As the early afternoon sun warmed away the morning's chill, I walked over to Blue Heron, which happens to be in my North Buckhead neighborhood. When I reached the preserve's Lakemoore pond, I saw a blue heron standing in the water. Generations of the birds have visited the pond over the years, beginning with the original one that gave the preserve its name. I tried to take a quick photo of the heron, but it began walking slowly toward the far bank, outside the camera's range.

Nearing the nature preserve's entrance on Roswell Road, I was amused to see some turtles sunning themselves on a log, quite a sight for early Feburary, and  stopped to shoot a photo of  them. The blue heron was a bit behind them, still a little out of camera range, so I didn't try to get a shot of it, and anyway, I was running late for my work assignment.

When I reached Nancy's office, she told me that the trail renovation work is being donated by Scapes Landscaping Co., in connection with the Atlanta Women's Club. The Rotary Club of Buckhead is volunteering for the project as well, planting flowers and trees for an educational garden at the beginning of the trail. The Rotary Club will begin its work Saturday.

Nancy and I did a little bit of work near the trail's entrance, moving a few trash cans and marking off the parking lot to guide the Bobcat operator, who will arrive Friday morning to smooth out the trailhead. She showed me the plans for the project, which will make the trail a great educational resource for children and adults.

My work finished, I headed home. After crossing the bridge across Nancy Creek beside the pond, I saw the heron, standing still by a fallen log. This time, it was close enough that I was able to take some photos of the strange beautiful bird. I waited to see if it would take flight, as I have seen other herons do, but it remained perfectly still. After a moment, I walked back toward my home office. Cars rushed by on Roswell Road behind me as I climbed up the hill.