Herons

There is a small heronry near where I live. Sited on the bank of the Ladybrook and nestling in tall Scots pines, this breeding colony comes back every Spring to re-build nests, lay eggs and raise its young. I've been lucky enough to watch this annual event over about 25 years. At one time there were as many as 18 breeding pairs, but now, I think the number closer to 9. The local landowner has cut down several of the nesting trees for some unknown reason.

The high swaying tree tops with their densely packed needle foliage make viewing of any chicks by the naked eye all but impossible, but a long lens, patience, and a still day can pay dividends. The female herons attend the nest and chicks, while the males fly far and wide for food and for sticks to build and reinforce the nests. The herons are pair bonded, and the females can spot a returning male at about 1/4 mile, letting out a shrill call of greeting. The females also guard the chicks from their arch enemies - the crows, and now also from buzzards who always have a beady eye open for a heron chick lunch.

Here are some shots from a visit to the heronry earlier this week: first, three of male herons. The third shot is not up to my self-imposed standard of focus, but I've included it as an example of how majestic these birds look as the prepare to land.



    


There were two chicks in the nest shown in the next set of photographs. They are not that easy to see even when knowing they are there! The first image of this set shows the two open beaks pointing upwards in the familiar gaping pose that hungry chicks adopt. I had the strong impression that there was already a dominant chick in this pair as seen in the next two shots. Careful scrutiny of the third of this set shows the feathery crown on the chick that will become the distinctive head plumage of the heron.


      

Even though the chicks are but a few weeks old, there instinct for craning the neck and looking about has developed as seen in the next image. The female is watching the sky for predators and for the return of her mate. The chick follows her example. The final shot is in some ways the luckiest of the whole shoot in that it shows the female with beak wide open, tongue visible, as she calls out to her returning mate. The two chicks are there, but difficult to distinguish.


   

On a technical note, all these images were taken with a Canon 5D Mark 3 fitted with a EF 100-400 mm L IS 1:4.5-5.6 lens. All shots were hand-held.

I hope you enjoyed your visit to the heronry!

Cheers

David