Herons

[Warrener]

Odd one here. On our farm in Somerset I am out 3 or 4 nights a week with the thermal. In one field for the past month or so I have had a Heron feeding in the dark almost every night, from 6pm to 3am it always seems to be in the same field, moving around and obviously feeding. Never come across them before this year. Its a drilled field, not particularly wet to be honest.

 

[Dazb1967]

I have a Heronry on my permission so see them all the time when out foxing through the night, I watched one take a full nest of Lapwing chicks earlier this year.

 

[jall55]

I have a Heronry on my permission so see them all the time when out foxing through the night, I watched one take a full nest of Lapwing chicks earlier this year.

A pain on our ponds for getting the ducklings

 

[jall55]

Odd one here. On our farm in Somerset I am out 3 or 4 nights a week with the thermal. In one field for the past month or so I have had a Heron feeding in the dark almost every night, from 6pm to 3am it always seems to be in the same field, moving around and obviously feeding. Never come across them before this year. Its a drilled field, not particularly wet to be honest.

Thats the beauty of thermal and NV - we are seeing and learning stuff all the time

 

[Dazb1967]

A pain on our ponds for getting the ducklings

They're ruthless but very good at what they do, When walking through the woods at night on the edge of the Heronry the noises that they make whilst flying in to feed the chicks is very eery

 

[jall55]

They're ruthless but very good at what they do, When walking through the woods at night on the edge of the Heronry the noises that they make whilst flying in to feed the chicks is very eery

Yes it sure is - with them making that noise and the barn owls screeching its like being in jurassic park

 

[old keeper]

Very interesting birds that can be a real pain on fisheries, and as Jail55 said, very good at removing ducklings!

 

[Cyres]

I have been seeing large numbers on flooded arable fields for many weeks. Up to 5/6 in a field. The first time you see them on a thermal they can look weird.
D

 

[Dazb1967]

Counted 17 of them in one of the fields on my permission a few month back

 

[jall55]

Counted 17 of them in one of the fields on my permission a few month backView attachment 398016

Never seen that before

 

[Foxyboy43]

I have a resident pair on one of my farms. If the shooting is slow they are always worth a watch - fascinating birds!

 

[Smellydog]

I don't like them, worse than crows in my opinion.

 

[finnbear270]

Their main food source on grass fields are slugs & snails.

 

[steve sxs]

Never seen that before

No because we were allowed to cull the bloody things! I wish these idiots who are making the rules would wake up and smell the coffee before we are over run by predators! The lapwing, curlew, and many other species are struggling, I could go on but

 

[Norfolk Horn]

Not a heron but a egret (large) working the edge of a stewardship field. It was about last year but hadn't seen one before.

 

[mdp67]

we've had up to 6 in our new reseeds this year daytime and night time I assumed they were after worms.

 

[devon deer stalker]

The heron emptied our small pond this year, one gold fish was over 20 years old

 

[Smellydog]

No because we were allowed to cull the bloody things! I wish these idiots who are making the rules would wake up and smell the coffee before we are over run by predators! The lapwing, curlew, and many other species are struggling, I could go on but

I was talking to an old hippie the other day, she was moaning how there is no crows! FFS.
I informed her there was plenty and asked why she doesn't care about the pipets and larks?
She looked puzzled and didn't reply. I interjected further and said she laments over the crow because she can readily see one or not but is oblivious to to the lack of ground nesters because she does not positively seek to look for them choosing to be negative over a crow, the same crows that destroyed the fledglings of the meadow pipet and lark!
Thick absolutely thick and cuckoo with it.

 

[shakey jake]

The heron emptied our small pond this year, one gold fish was over 20 years old

That must of been tough

 

[kevtherev]

Normally after slugs etc on drilled fields they will also take frogs and mice too.