We have lived in this suburban house for thirty five years but never before have we spotted a heron on one of our apple trees. But there the creature was this very evening. Thirty feet off the ground with his/her neck outstretched, looking for something.
Perhaps he or she was looking for another heron or more likely a garden pond from which a nice evening meal might be snatched. Herons are such skilful spear fishers. It is what evolution designed them to do.
I had spotted the bird as I passed through our kitchen so grabbed my camera and hoped it would not fly away - the bird I mean, not the camera! Herons are such skittish birds with a keen sense of possible danger. The photo was taken through the glass of our kitchen door. I knew that if I opened that door, he/she would zoom off.
Below there are two more heron pictures I have taken in past years. The first one was taken at Garlieston Bay in south west Scotland as night was approaching...
This second one was taken by the old mill pond in Bingham Park which is less than half a mile from this keyboard. That's where I expect to see herons - in or by watery places - not up in a suburban apple tree. I wonder if the heron will ever come back. Somehow I doubt it. It was most likely a once in thirty five year event.
Isn't that very odd!! Especially now, which my addled brain says must be the season for mating and birthing. Or....you have captured a lost, nervous oiseau. Surely, in your neighborhood, there is at least one ornithologist who could explain this mystery.?
ReplyDeleteI suspect there is no mystery. Ponds and a small river are not very far away and like all wild creatures, the main thing on that heron's mind will be food.
DeleteI was once walking on Bodega Head along the California Coast and came upon a Blue Heron about ten feet in front of me. I stopped; he, or she stopped. And then with a simple flap of wings he, or she, lifted up from the Earth and sailed away. Graceful birds.
ReplyDeleteShame you could not flap your own wings and follow.
DeleteAll three are great shots!
ReplyDeleteMaybe you need a fishpond to attrract herons. You could put it near the sheep sculpture
Many times I thought of making a pond but lazy ass that I am, I never got round to it.
DeleteHerons are impressive birds to watch. That spear is like lightning when prey comes near.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that I don't have a long spear protruding from my mouth!
DeleteHeron presumably on the way somewhere else when you clocked it, but I guess they check suburban yards for the odd overlooked body of water which might harbour the odd tasty fish. Herons were the suspects when, years ago, a friend had his very modest garden fish pond cleared out of all fishy denizens. Against this risk (though the only guilty party he actually observed was a kookaburra flying away with a flash of gold [fish] in his beak) D, the man with whom I live, is careful (more accurately: has been careful since the kookaburra incident) to maintain some kind of netting or protective grate above his various iterations of our fish pond.
ReplyDeletePS: enough quizzes for the time being!
Quiz question:
Delete274. Which "P.S." by Marcellous is YP going to ignore?
Oh well, I suppose a quiz is better than (D H Lawrence reference specially for teachers) us all simply waiting for the bell.
DeleteI believe that that was "Last Lesson of the Afternoon".
DeleteWe have plenty of herons that every evening come up from the river all across town and onto the fields where they find mice and other small rodents. Their diet is not limited to fish, but if there is not enough available (or maybe they fancy a change), they will go for other food.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I see ten or more on one large field. They feel safe when they are far enough in the field and away from the path, but are very wary of dogs who are left to run free by their owners while out for a walk - something that should not happen at all this time of year, what with baby hares etc. out there.
They are such elegant, streamlined birds but ruthless too. It pays to be wary.
DeleteHmmm... I am quite certain that I commented on your quiz post, too, but maybe my comment went into spam.
ReplyDeleteI checked "Spam"and it's not there. Sorry about its disappearance.
DeleteThey are beautiful birds and certainly better at fishing than I ever was.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to take one's eyes off a beautiful bird.
DeletePerhaps it had gone for a errand (heron) YP?
ReplyDelete"Heron" is the name of a frozen food shop chain here in the kingdom of your birth. I believe Newcastle Brown is free there but customers are limited to two crates each.
DeleteOr even "Birds Eye".
DeleteWithout doubt there must be a pond nearby you that it chooses its supper from. Our local park has a huge colony of herons on the lakes and each year members of the RSPB come along to take photos and look at them through binoculars. Funnily enough, that event is next weekend. Also the area in South London called Herne Hill gets its name from herons that used to frequent there.
ReplyDeleteTwo or three years ago I walked through Battersea Park on Christmas Day morning and there were several brazen herons by the lake there. Not as skittish as Yorkshire herons.
DeleteIt brings a story to mind, of my 10 year old son saying mum there is a pigeon in the pond. Of course it was a heron finishing off the last of the goldfish. I love that last photo, the way the heron is reflected in the water.
ReplyDeleteYes. A grey heron is really too big to be regarded as a pigeon even though the colouring is similar.
DeleteYes, no return. Nothing to eat here. Friends used to lose fish from their pond with herons doing the takings. They netted over it with a removable frame for when guests visited. The heron has caught something in the second photo?
ReplyDeleteI guess herons do sometimes miss when they strike but on this occasion the heron did come up with a small fish.
DeleteWe had herons regularly visiting the fish pond in our pervious garden, despite mesh covers and barriers. We gave up on restocking the pond with fish. The frogs didn't last long either.
ReplyDeleteWas the pond called "JayCee's Takeaway"?
DeleteI have never been that close to a heron or had a camera either. They are such graceful looking birds.
ReplyDeleteGraceful and ruthless at the same time.
DeleteFor some reason it never occurred to me that you would have herons in Yorkshire. We have at least four species of them here and I love seeing them on the rivers. Terrific shots of your British birds.
ReplyDeleteI have only ever seen grey herons here. They are not endangered but numbers are in decline.
DeleteI'm a fan of herons. We don't really see them around here, although we do have pelicans if you can believe it. But I'm going to Vancouver next week and I usually see at least one heron there. I especially love that last photo.
ReplyDeleteThat last photo - when I first posted it another blogger asked if she could use it as the basis of an oil painting. The end result was brilliant.
DeleteHow odd! I wonder what brought him to your garden? Do any of your neighbors have fish ponds?
ReplyDeleteNot that I know of. Maybe he/she was checking out our gardens from his/her lofty viewpoint.
DeleteWe have lots of herons and cranes around here - in the rivers and local ponds. Always lovely to see!
ReplyDeleteCranes? A lot of construction work happening then?
DeleteYou made me think I spelled it wrong but I checked with Google and I didn't!! :)
DeleteI never meant to question your spelling Ellen!
DeleteNo herons where I live but I did get treated to a male and female cardinal duet the other night as the sky put on quite a show with gray clouds, white fluffy clouds, dark sky, blue sunshiny sky, and finally sunset. It was a nice greeting for the evening.
ReplyDeleteHad you been consuming mind bending drugs? I see you are in Ohio. I am coming over to your blog.
DeleteHerons are common now, especially in mature big gardened housing estates that house ornamental ponds
ReplyDeleteThough not endangered, heron numbers are in fact in decline.
DeleteYP - off topic I know, but have just come across this about good value beers in Sheffield:
ReplyDeleteSheffield
Debate about Britain’s best beer city can keep pub bores going all evening, but when it comes to good beer at excellent prices, one city stands out: Sheffield. It’s full of charismatic pubs, and it has more breweries per capita, according to the recent Sheffield beer report, than anywhere else in the UK. Probably the best part of town for a pint is that around Kelham Island, home to the Fat Cat and the Kelham Island Tavern, where a good pint of perfectly-kept cask beer is generally yours for a lot less than £4. There’s a bonanza of choice, too: around 600 different beers are on sale in Sheffield on any given day.
Why do you think I live here Will?
DeleteWe have herons and egrets on our pond. They are indeed skilled at fishing! They make some rather odd sounds, too.
ReplyDeleteA fine catch, Neil.
ReplyDeleteI think the Stranglers had a song "Whatever Happened to the Herons".
ReplyDeleteHerons are amazing birds, until you realise they're treating your fish pond as their larder!
ReplyDelete