Ray Collier Country Diary- Herons
Herons - 15th December 2008
Herons, with their very long legs, long necks and large dagger shaped beaks cannot really be confused with any other bird in the Highlands. Whilst there is pink colouring on the beak and legs the plumage is essentially black and white and varying shades of grey. These large birds can be found in wide variety of places and seem equally at home fishing the shallows of the firths to the burns inland. They can be seen in fields where they hunt frogs and small animals such as voles or in the shallow bays of freshwater lochs. They are not averse to coming into garden ponds, even small ones, after goldfish and other types of fish, and if they come in at first light, as they often do, they can take fish before anybody is up in time to see them. They take a very wide variety of freshwater and saltwater fish from sticklebacks to fish so large you wonder how the birds cope. The studies on the herons diet that have been undertaken show that the largest percentage of food in rivers are eels. With such a powerful looking beak it would seem natural to pierce a fish but this approach is unusual. Normally fish, even large one, are gripped rather than skewered, and then there is a great deal of manoeuvring as the fish has to be positioned so that it can be swallowed head first. If the fish is large and struggling then the heron will walk or fly ashore so that if it drops its prey it is not lost in the water.
Whilst part of the success of the heron in recent years is its ability to feed in a wide range of habitats the range of its food is also important. They tend to take fish but will also take large numbers of frogs especially in the spring when the frogs are active and vocal during the mating season. Water birds are also taken especially ducklings whilst dippers have been on their diet. They will also go for larger birds and water rails and moorhens have been recorded. Historically there were few enemies of herons although they were much valued at one time as falconry targets for the peregrine falcon. The problem was that the heron was considered a coward as rather than confront its pursuer it chose to fly ever upwards. Herons also featured on old recipes and were on the menus in many banquets as "heron pudding". Apart from persecution by anglers and fish farms, which still take place albeit illegally, it is severe winters that take their toll. The continuing series of mild winters has meant the birds have increased at some colonies. Another factor has been the clean up of some river catchments areas in recent years which has meant an improvement in numbers and health of fish.
Herons can be seen virtually anywhere in the Highlands and surveys have been carried out at regular intervals so the distribution of their colonies, called heronries, are fairly well known. In last years two volumes of "The Birds of Scotland" from the Scottish Ornithologists Club there is an interesting map of the heronries. Those with more than 30 nests are marked and there are ten of them. Two are near Inverness, on the Black Isle and near Clachnaharry on the west side of Inverness. There are two on the east coast, two on the west coast and four on the Western Isles where one is in a reed bed. There are many other smaller colonies and sometimes only one or two nests are involved.
Herons, with their very long legs, long necks and large dagger shaped beaks cannot really be confused with any other bird in the Highlands. Whilst there is pink colouring on the beak and legs the plumage is essentially black and white and varying shades of grey. These large birds can be found in wide variety of places and seem equally at home fishing the shallows of the firths to the burns inland. They can be seen in fields where they hunt frogs and small animals such as voles or in the shallow bays of freshwater lochs. They are not averse to coming into garden ponds, even small ones, after goldfish and other types of fish, and if they come in at first light, as they often do, they can take fish before anybody is up in time to see them. They take a very wide variety of freshwater and saltwater fish from sticklebacks to fish so large you wonder how the birds cope. The studies on the herons diet that have been undertaken show that the largest percentage of food in rivers are eels. With such a powerful looking beak it would seem natural to pierce a fish but this approach is unusual. Normally fish, even large one, are gripped rather than skewered, and then there is a great deal of manoeuvring as the fish has to be positioned so that it can be swallowed head first. If the fish is large and struggling then the heron will walk or fly ashore so that if it drops its prey it is not lost in the water.
Whilst part of the success of the heron in recent years is its ability to feed in a wide range of habitats the range of its food is also important. They tend to take fish but will also take large numbers of frogs especially in the spring when the frogs are active and vocal during the mating season. Water birds are also taken especially ducklings whilst dippers have been on their diet. They will also go for larger birds and water rails and moorhens have been recorded. Historically there were few enemies of herons although they were much valued at one time as falconry targets for the peregrine falcon. The problem was that the heron was considered a coward as rather than confront its pursuer it chose to fly ever upwards. Herons also featured on old recipes and were on the menus in many banquets as "heron pudding". Apart from persecution by anglers and fish farms, which still take place albeit illegally, it is severe winters that take their toll. The continuing series of mild winters has meant the birds have increased at some colonies. Another factor has been the clean up of some river catchments areas in recent years which has meant an improvement in numbers and health of fish.
Herons can be seen virtually anywhere in the Highlands and surveys have been carried out at regular intervals so the distribution of their colonies, called heronries, are fairly well known. In last years two volumes of "The Birds of Scotland" from the Scottish Ornithologists Club there is an interesting map of the heronries. Those with more than 30 nests are marked and there are ten of them. Two are near Inverness, on the Black Isle and near Clachnaharry on the west side of Inverness. There are two on the east coast, two on the west coast and four on the Western Isles where one is in a reed bed. There are many other smaller colonies and sometimes only one or two nests are involved.
posted by Corinne @ 11:57 AM
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