Kurt wrote ~~The only question I had, and I still don't have an
answer, is will a heron land directly into the water, or do they
always walk
in from shore.~~

Yes, a heron can land in the water. Someone once reporting
one floating around like a prehistoric duck. A hungry bird will
try all sorts of things.
The trick is making it too difficult. A bird on the ground is
in danger from predation, so the harder you make it to get
to the pond the more potential threat there is to spending more
time on the ground. That said some birds are very determined.
It's really luck and circumstance.

k :-)