Good day everyone and welcome to the next instalment of Voiceforwildlife where today we will be taking a look at a bird that is a common sight around marshland but always a pleasure to see. The scavenger of the pond and the statue of the lake - the Grey Heron.
With an average height of 90cm and a wingspan of 180cm it is remarkable to think that these gargantuan birds can remain unnoticed anywhere from garden ponds to marshes. There body feathers are, perhaps un-surprisingly, a dull silver-grey that fades into a snow white on the head and a thick feathers on the top of each leg. A black line interrupts the White head extending into a long orange beak, the same coloure as each eye positioned on the each side of the head, shaped similarly to a knife edge. Their necks are long and thin, creating an S shape when coiled tight to the the body. These remarkable birds can easily be missed as they stand, much like a statue, on the side of a body of water.
As previously suggested, these birds are aquatic predators, standing 'knee deep' in a pond, river, lake or damp patch of land as if time has frozen. They feed mainly on small fish such a sticklebacks, using their evolved ability to remain completely motionless, attracting prey to the area before striking - extending their long necks into the water before the food source has a chance to escape. They will then continue to position the fish head down In their beaks before swallowing whole. Moreover they will happily take advantage of the abundance of frogs and tadpoles in a certain area, gorging themselves in the few months when the population of tadpoles 'explodes'. They have been seen to remove chicks from nests although this is far less common. The Grey Heron is also a regular visitor to garden ponds as most pet fish are tamer than in the wild - this added with being confined to a small space makes your finned friends extremely vulnerable to predation. Some stores do sell tall plastic herons that can simply be stuck into the ground, however these do not help to deter other herons. If you have a heron problem in your garden your best attempt to deter them is two buy a pack of floating disks that can be joint together and float on the pods surface. This will make it almost impossible for a Grey Heron to hunt your fish as the disk prevents them venturing into the shallow edges of your pond.
Unlike many other water dwelling birds, that tend to nest in reed beds or make a nest in shallow areas (scrapes), Herons nest communally in trees, making untidy nests from sticks and twigs. Breeding starts earlier than most in February, however they will only have,on average, 1 clutch a year. Parents will take turns in incubating up to 7 eggs for around 25 days. Both parents will continue to feed their young for a surprising period of up to 55 days. The fact that these birds nest up high makes their eggs immune to predation from ground dwelling predators such as foxes and badgers - with a population of 60,000 UK wintering birds.
So next time you see the graceful Grey heron standing as still as a model, posing for its prey, just remember how talented this bird is - surviving in the freezing conditions of British weather.
(No credit is taken for the photo)