Herons

On a recent holliday to Berlin we took our son to the zoo, we came across this and couldn't believe our eyes, there were so many herons nesting in the trees, Ive never seen so many in one place before. They were living beside Pelicans.

 

That's amazing, Dalbuie! Lovely to see the pelicans too. I used to see loads of herons on an island in the pond at the main park in St Albans, which I found pretty amazing too, as it was very close to the land - but the herons weren't bothered by all the people, and I've counted as many as a dozen at one time!

 

It was certainly a lovely sight and quite spooky too, the light was starting to go and they were probably getting themselves organised for
the night trying to find a vacant spot, they flew about quite low then suddenly swooped up to a tree.The Pelicans were lovely they had a nest with a little one in it.

 

:D

 

I love seeing herons too, I remember seeing Night Herons at Edinburgh Zoo as a semi wild colony when I was about 10, I have never seen more than six Grey Herons at one time.
If I had a real zoom, this would have been a good pic of a Little Bittern(my first) at a reservoir in Crete last friday.

 

I always think of Herons as solitary birds. I snapped one in flight out over the Forth on Sunday but it was pretty far out and I didn't have a tele lens on. There's a few round about Loch Leven too but I've yet to see the Ospreys.

 

My brother (with members of a bird group in Crete) have seen 150 grey herons flying together, something we never see here. I was lucky enough to see a Booted Eagle fly over his house just before we left on sunday, the first Eagle I have ever seen.

 

Amazing pics Dalbuie! They look as though theyve been put on the trees as decoration! Mustve been a sight to see

 

Fantastic pics Dalbuie

 

wonderful pics

 

Lovely photos! We have lots of herons here, plus storks and flamingos.

 

Herons do nest in colonies, they are called heronries. There is one at the Mere in Ellesmere, Shropshire. When they are nesting they set up a video camera so people can watch the nests while in the visitor centre. That old chestnut about herons being solitary is rubbish - I once heard it used as an argument for buying a plastic one to put in a pond. Down at the Bosherton Lily ponds in South Pembrokeshire you could often see several together while fishing.

 

I love herons and one visited my garden early this morning.

Spotted this young one earlier in the year:

 

Lovely photos as always, HB! :D

I used to love going along the road by Loch Fyne, out in Argyll, where there's an island with a heronry all along the side that faces the road. It was great watching the constant bustle of herons going about their business! And then there were the seals......