On this subject of heron, I have never seen so many as there are on the GU 
cruising south into London. There are so many of them we have virtually ceased 
to notice them. There are heron vying for each other for attention at locks, 
heron lining the towpath with the frequency of fishermen, heron queued up along 
the roof ridges of lock cottages.

Still we take no notice of them. These formerly discreet avians have now taken 
to doing song and dance acts as we pass to attract our attention.

Steve
Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

-----Original Message-----
From: David Cragg <[email protected]>

Date: Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:19:10 
To: <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [canals-list] Re: Uncle Mort heads North


Quite near where you are heading we passed one with a fish that must have 
weighed near as much as the heron. The bird was trying to throw it around in 
its beak to swallow head first, as they do, but the fish was so heavy the bird 
was nearly falling in the canal head first if it moved the fish towards the 
pointed end of it's beak and spoiled the balance of fish and bird. But it was 
still trying the last we saw - the photo is somewhat blurred of this amazing 
fish/heron combination. They catch some big ones on the flashes above 
Middlewich - mostly by diving from the bank (up to 5' down!) as when they are 
in the water they tend to move the legs just enough for the fish to get away as 
they pounce.   

--- On Wed, 29/4/09, Brian on Harnser <[email protected]> wrote:

From: Brian on Harnser <[email protected]>
Subject: [canals-list] Re: Uncle Mort heads North
To: [email protected]
Date: Wednesday, 29 April, 2009, 10:26 PM

[email protected] wrote :
> The usual population of grey herons went about their business, but what
> ?is? their business ? I have never seen one with a fish. They are waders
> and they can ?stab? their prey. So why do they park themselves on the bank
> from which position they could never reach the water, let alone target a
> meal ?

But they can. I have watched them stand on the bank and thrust there 
beaks forward into the cut to catch a fish. I have also seen them dive 
into the canal and take fish. What I can't work out is how they see 
them in the murky water.





------------------------------------

Yahoo! Groups Links






      

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



------------------------------------

Yahoo! Groups Links





------------------------------------

Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/canals-list/

<*> Your email settings:
    Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/canals-list/join
    (Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
    mailto:[email protected] 
    mailto:[email protected]

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    [email protected]

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

Reply via email to