The Way the Heron Flies

Not the best photo, as they were flying & flying away from my camera! So I doubt I'll get many comments, but it's rather hard getting a close up shot of a heron unless you're a heron!

These are grey herons & I've never seen a flock, only ever one in flight, so I assume these must be youngsters of this year.

Grey herons are very common but Winter last they suffered greatly by the cold - as they mainly have a diet of fish & couldn't penetrate the frozen lakes or rivers & so many died of starvation, which is not the only cause of death - so many fly into telegraph wires, wind turbine blades, found tangled in barbed wire or shot poaching goldfish. Not a pretty end for a majestic characterful bird.

Their wingspan is huge - almost 2 metres in length. They don't only prey on fish, they also eat water birds, water voles & one was also filmed eating a rabbit! Some ringed birds have been known to live up to 25 years of age!

One name for the heron is 'Old Nog' who was a character who appeared in Henry Williamson's book, Tarka the Otter & it was said if one landed in your garden it was meant to be bad luck - well it would be in this day & age if you had a pond full of priceless koi!

I find herons very mysterious birds, I sometimes see them in a small group hunting fish on salt marshes but always standing a short distance together, never up close & personal. There's an idea that birds derived from dinosaurs - I certainly believe that with herons as they look & possibly sound just like pterodactyls!