Nesting Herons

Before we started work on our nature reserve, over 5 years ago now, we had herons visiting the centre daily. Once the reserve was under way they started roosting here, and now they are permanent residents often numbering well over 20 individuals.

Come the late afternoon you often see many of them lining up at the back of our deer paddock, waiting for visitors to leave. This is when they can have a look in our otter ponds for any left over fish the otters have left behind.

Once again it is that time of year when the chicks have started to hatch. We have more nests than before this year, and at least two on which I have seen chicks. I took the above photo yesterday evening after seeing one head poke up from the nest... it was only later when looking on the computer that this picture above (the only one out of the 5 or so I took) had a second head peering over the top of the nest too.

The herons are always a joy to watch, and we do put food out for them every afternoon at about 4.30pm. It is for this last half hour of the day you can often see the parents squabbling and taking food back to their chicks.

Come have a look for yourself.