News from the heron hedge
With at least three birds starting to sit tight on eggs this week, our grey heron colony - one of the UK's largest - will be one of our reserve's biggest highlights over the coming weeks.
Up to 16 adults have been spotted furiously nest-building; taking advantage of last year's pollarded and coppiced trees along the river path as a convenient source of material. At its height, the colony will reach 25+ pairs.
The eggs currently being incubated should start hatching around Saturday 8 March, before the chicks fledge the nest in mid-late April. This, of course, is if all goes well and factors such as bad weather don’t hamper their progress...watch this space...
A few grey heron facts:
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
- Breeding starts late January/early February
- Egg size is 60x43mm
- Clutch size 2-7 eggs
- Incubation 23-28 days by both male and female
- Number of broods 1-2
- Fledge at 42-55 days
