A heron flying away from the electricity pole

When Helena got up I made a cup of tea and went to my desk to check for messages. As I started my computer a shadow passed in front of the window and I realised that a heron had been standing on our roof, just a few feet above my head. I stood up immediately and looked out of the window and saw it had landed on the electricity pole in our neighbours back garden. I went downstairs to get my camera and stood by my desk and pointed at the heron still standing on the pole.

A few seconds later and it flew down over our garden and up high onto a branch the ash tree. I took pictures of it and then it flew  away down over the back gardens to the next pole about forty yards away.  I think it is coming regularly as  there are ponds in a few of the gardens and Jess has told me the heron regularly stands on the edge of theirs expectantly. Frogs may also be another tasty morsel they want.

After only a couple of minutes the heron flew back to the ash tree, stood there for a minute and then flew back onto the rooftop of the house with the second electricity pole, before flying away down the valley. It was all over in about ten minutes.

My blip is of its second departure from a pole back to our ash tree. I ‘m glad I caught it with its feet still firmly on the top of the pole. Looking closely at the white trails down the pole and the rooftops I can see that it has regular habits!

The houses in the distance are part of Butterow, a small hamlet on the far side of the Golden Valley a short way up the hill from the canal, river and railway line.