We don't need another heron!back

 

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If these are the words you hear in the chorus of one of Tina Turner's greatest hits, you probably have a goldfish pond in your garden. From the heron's point of view, goldfish are an attractive snack because their conspicuous colouring makes them so easy to catch. In general, heron have to rely on their powers of deception when stalking prey: heron hunt by moving as little as possible. A heron standing in a meadow in wait for mice or frogs is so motionless that you may easily mistake him for a fencepost. When stalking fish they blend invisibly with the reeds, fooling not only us humans but, more to the point, the heron's prey, too. If a tasty beakful scuttles, hops, or swims into their ken, things start moving very fast. The motionless heron suddenly springs into action and spears its hapless prey at lightning speed.
The Urdenbacher Kämpe nature reserve is an ideal hunting ground for heron. In the short grass of its pastures their prey is easy to spot, and fish from the shallow wetland waters provide welcome variation in their diet. For a real treat they can fly to the nearby suburban gardens and snabble a goldfish.
Apart from food, the nature reserve also provides excellent nesting places. Its tall poplars are ideal for the heron's treetop colonies. The poplars across the road are home to a large heronry. The heron's social side comes out in spring when they raise their young. Hoarsely calling to each other from nest to nest, perhaps they are swapping hunting stories, although the health and size of their offspring are the best proof of success in that field. Or perhaps they need all this calling and croaking to make up for the many lonely and motionless hours spent in meadows, streams, and ponds . . .

Photo: Joschka Meiburgback