Varied diet suits the long-legged heron
light and are able to gain height rapidly, a fact which made them ideal quarry for the huntsman’s hawks when the sport of kings was so popular. Indeed, that scurrilous King of England Henry VIII passed a law protecting herons so that he and his hawking friends could hunt them!
However, on days such as these, when the wind takes control, herons can find life difficult. One such bird, which had been fishing in the lea of lochside trees but when taking off to change stations, was seized by the brisk wind and found itself tossed hither and thither as it struggled to regain equilibrium. But that stoicism shone through as it struggled to maintain its progress and at last, as it regained some protection beyond the trees, it began to make progress.
The only time I have seen a heron thrown into sheer panic was on a summer’s day when, out of a clear blue sky, there suddenly hurtled an angry osprey. Why the heron was the cause of so much ire I could not tell. Did the osprey see the heron as a rival for the loch’s scaly inhabitants? That seemed to be the only explanation for an attack of such magnitude as three times the poor heron was downed into the waters of the loch and only with a fair struggle did it finally make it to the shore, a bedraggled and harassed bird.
Even then, the assault continued, the osprey diving time and time again causing the poor heron to duck and dive. However, as suddenly as it had started the attack was called off, the osprey sailing away leaving the heron to dry off.
There are no such threats for the heron to contemplate at present. The ospreys are currently many hundreds of miles away wintering in West Africa, so once again the herons reign supreme, once more seemingly in charge! The many moods of herons are intriguing and often a heron will be quite anonymous, almost invisible, as it stands so still and statuesque, not moving a single muscle beside the water. Indeed, although the heron may seem to be a picture of indolence, believe me, it is wide awake and supremely alert. The indolent appearance is all part of a cunning plan but once a fish comes within reach, the heron is ready to strike.
Sometimes, the heron may be pro-active, literally wading through the water, ready to strike when the opportunity arises. In such a mood, I once watched a heron tackle an eel, or rather I watched as the eel wrapped itself around the bird’s bill! Eels clearly value their lives more than most and so determined was the eel, that the heron had no recourse but to wade ashore and find a suitable boulder against which it then smashed the eel until it was at last comatose and able to be swallowed.
Herons have a relatively varied diet, not all of which comprises fish. I once saw a trio of herons in line abreast, marching across a field. Every now and then, one of them would dart forward and seize something and I discovered that they were hunting voles. They may use similar tactics when frogs are migrating, intercepting the amphibians on their journey. I’ve never seen herons working quite so collectively either before or since, yet this was a very deliberate ploy and one which was clearly meeting with some success.
Amongst the other victims of herons can be the young of waterfowl. Herons are not fussy about what they eat and they are well equipped to exploit anything that comes within striking distance. Of course, the strike is the great attribute of a hunting heron. Often you will see a stalking heron cock its long and sinuous neck, ready to strike. And when it does, it does so literally with the speed of a snake.
The only thing that confounds a heron is when the water freezes. I once had a heron brought to me that had shattered its beak on ice. Sadly, there was nothing anyone could do to help the bird and it had to be put down.
I did once hear an amazing story from Amsterdam, whether true or apocryphal, I’m not sure. It was a cold and frosty day in Amsterdam and the canals had frozen over. It was said that herons, denied their fishing, went around knocking at windows in the hope that someone would feed them!
I know that herons are bright and versatile but I find that tall story just a bit too good to be true!