during one of the big spring tides earlier this year at parkgate (wirral) i witnessed a heron catch and swallow a water rail. even more bizaar was shortly after when a great black backed gull did the same! not sure how the bill fit in but it made it look suprisingly easy
I thought at the time that it was a little early for Starlings to have young but while working in the garden this morning at least 3-4 Starlings came in to collect food and then take it back to their nests in the neighbouring houses.
I wonder if the early decent weather this year with the milder winter we had has caused the birds to nest earlier than normal.
While walking around Chat moss this afternoon all the birds and the bee`s seem very active and all ready enjoying Spring.
On a similar vain, whilst at Hope Carr yesterday I noticed at Moorhen obviously in trouble in one of the sludge beds. The birds had been crossing the bed (you could clearly see it's footprints) when it had fallen into a very wet and sticky patch, it had stuggled some way but was covered in 'mud' (shall we say ) and in a sorry state and as the bird was a fair way off the bank there was no hope of a rescue attempt. After a minute or so and with a real 'plop' in literally just dropped beneath the surface and never reappeared! Having seen numerous birds struggling in the wetter sludge beds over the year I'd hate to think how many bird corpses there are in there
Around 3 or 4 years ago, when I was working in Knutsford, Cheshire, I used to wander down to the Knutsford end of Tatton Mere on a regular basis. A pair of Heron were nesting and I watched the egg siting phase, the 2 young being fed etc over a couple of weeks. I wandered down one lunch to see one of the adults repeatedly picking up one of the young in its bill. The chick was obviously dead, probably 10 -14 days old. Thinking it was going to remove the dead chick from the nest I was somewhat surprised to watch the adult proceed to swallow the chick. It was quite a size and the adult struggled to get it down. There was that slightly macabre moment when the chicks legs were sticking out of its bill for waht seemed like an age. The other chick disappeared from the nest and no young were fledged that year. I have considered since, the adult viewed may not have been the one of the parent birds but as it was a single nest site (rather than a "heronry") I would have been surprised the parents wouldnt have protected the nest better. Who knows ???
Not only is this interesting because of the prey item (Starling) but also extraordinary to hear of Starling young - normally very synchronised to mid May before they fledge - just nest-building round here. I'd like to copy the story to the BTO Nest Record email Group - is that OK? I once saw a Heron try to eat a Snipe but it couldn't get the bill and the legs sorted out!
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Judith Smith
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Lightshaw hall Flash is sacrosanct - NO paths please!
At this time of year I get Herons visiting my garden ponds each day.Normally just one arrives and looks at my Koi and Goldfish through the netting and fence which I have built around my main pond before deciding it would be easy to catch a frog in my smaller open pond.This is better for me considering the price of fish these days and I have plenty of frogs.
Two years ago a Heron family of mum,dad and two kids came to see if they could make a dinner of my fish and while the kids stayed on the roof the parents tried to pull the net of the top of the pond.They gave up eventually and caught a couple of frogs for their kids.
At 7 pm tonight an adult Heron flew down and stood statue-like next to the pond while he watched the fish.At the same moment 1 adult Starling and its 3 wing shaking young flew down and sat on the edge of my birdbath while the adult had a drink.While I was thinking that this is a little early to see baby starlings the Heron took flight and jumped next to the bird bath causing the Starlings to panic.One baby Starling flew into the Herons wing and as it fell to the ground the heron caught it in its beak and swallowed it whole.
Over the years I have seen Herons catch and eat Rats,Voles and Ducklings in the wild but this is the first time I have seen a Starling caught and eaten.
) and in a sorry state and as the bird was a fair way off the bank there was no hope of a rescue attempt. After a minute or so and with a real 'plop' in literally just dropped beneath the surface and never reappeared! Having seen numerous birds struggling in the wetter sludge beds over the year I'd hate to think how many bird corpses there are in there 