HERON 



Ardea cinerea 



HE Common Heron is a somewhat locally distributed 

 resident throughout Great Britain and the adjacent islands. 

 It does not often breed in the Orkneys and Shetlands, 

 and still more rarely in the Outer Hebrides. 



The favourite haunts of the Heron are the shallows 

 in lakes, rivers, and ponds, and it is rarely seen at any 

 distance from water. It is especially partial to swamps 

 dotted with little pools, where it may be seen standing with its head buried 

 between its shoulders, ready to dart its long bill into the water to catch some 

 unwary frog or fish. In the autumn and winter Herons may be seen in small 

 parties on the mud-flats at the mouths of rivers, wading about in the shallows 

 with slow, stately steps, every now and then darting down their bills, securing some 

 small fish, sometimes standing motionless for a considerable length of time with 

 one leg tucked up. The flight of the Heron is very rapid, and is performed 

 by slow and steady beats of its huge wings; when flying, its head is drawn 

 back to the shoulders, and its long legs are stretched out behind under its tail 

 as a sort of rudder. 



It is a very wary bird, and generally takes flight long before the intruder 

 can get within gunshot. It is most partial to running water, and the reedy 

 backwaters in some of our streams and rivers are its favourite resorts in the 

 early morning and at dusk, which are its principal feeding-times. During 

 the day it may often be seen perched on the ground a long way from water, 

 with one leg drawn up, apparently half asleep, but in reality as wary as ever. 

 Although it prefers to nest in colonies, it is hardly a gregarious bird, and is 

 rarely seen in parties of more than five or six, and solitary Herons are a very 

 common sight, being probably young birds of the year which have not paired, 

 and have selected some quiet and secluded spot where they can fish and doze 

 VOL. ii. K 37 



