Grey Heron
(Ardea cinerea)
Grey herons often stand motionless for long periods of time. When they are resting, they can look very hunched up, but when hunting they lean forward and stare at the water in front of them, waiting for prey to come near – they then try and grab it with a sudden lunge. Herons have a very distinctive slow (‘lazy’) wing beat when flying.
Grey herons are one of the largest birds seen around Killearn. They are often found on the banks of (or wading in) the Endrick and the Blane, as well as in ponds, marshes and other wetlands. The birds around Killearn are likely to be resident all year, but those breeding in more upland areas, and in Scandinavia, have to migrate once ice starts to form in their feeding areas.
Fascinating fact:
The count of breeding herons is the longest running census of breeding birds in the UK, having started in 1928!
They first breed when 2–3 years old, and can live to over 20 years but typically live around five years. They tend to have high mortality rates in cold winters when water freezes over, preventing them from feeding.
It’s perhaps surprising that such tall, ungainly birds nest in trees rather than on the ground. They breed in small colonies (‘heronries’) at sites used every year, where they build very large nests in the tops of trees. They are among the earliest birds to begin breeding in the spring, synchronising their egg-laying with when frogs are breeding (as frogs are a major food for herons, along with fish, other amphibians and ducklings).
Did you know
The grey heron used to be the only large long-legged wading bird found in the west of Scotland, but we now also have little egrets and (very occasionally) cattle and great white egrets, all of which have colonised from further south. However, these are all pure white, so the mix of grey, white and black colours of the grey heron means that it is still easily identified.