morning blue herons....

I just saw 8 ! blue herons flying together!. It is 6AM and I am watching the sunrise kaleidoscope, when a "flock"of blue herons fly in formation overhead. I see single herons fairly often, but  I have never seen a group together. They looked exactly like the coastal pelicans, who  cruise in total synchronicity over waves  down at Nags Head. These herons actually circled overhead and made several passes over me . I wonder what a group of blue herons is called?  How about a "blaze " of herons  or a "herd " ?? I wonder if they are looking for water as the streams have dried up. Usually I see a single bird stalking frogs in the big stream in the back field. It is dry and cracked now. There is another stream further back that has been very full this spring, unusually so.  I have been meaning to walk downstream to look for a beaver dam. This was my widest stream and the one I used to teach young horses how to walk thru water without getting all upset. At first, this spring I thought it was just full from rains, but as it dried and the stream continued to be above hock depth I wondered finally what the beavers had done. Now, I wonder if that is where the herons are headed. I haven't ridden recently as it has been way too hot and the deer flies and spider webs put a damper on early morning rides. Perhaps I will walk this morning and go look. Sometimes I wonder at animal's prescient knowledge- do the beaver know we are in for a hot, dry summer and work extra hard to build a deeper dam to keep water for all the "critters".  Nature's way.