Screencaps from webcam by webcamera operator Mutikluti, LK forum
Translation Liis
Grey heron Hallhaigur Ardea cinerea
How can such large birds climb around in trees? If anyone moreover notices the footprint of a large bird that has a long back-facing toe on the bank of a water body or in shallow water then it belongs to herons. With such a back toe it is possible to get a strong grip on tree branches and this lounging about on the branches can also be seen in the dirigible web camera – for other ciconiiformes (stork family) birds this tree climbing ability is simply lacking because of a short back-facing toe.
In grey heron nests it is usual that chicks and eggs of different ages can be seen
First of all it should be mentioned that heron pairs stay together for one breeding season. The female lays three to five eggs in the nest – one egg every two days. Since the incubation starts at once after the first egg has been laid we can see heron chicks of varying sizes in the nests. The incubation period is usually given as 25 days on average and both adults take part.
In the three first weeks after the hatching of the chicks one adult is always in the nest to warm them, protect them against snow sleet, wind and, when the weather turns better, direct sun to avoid overheating..
Read and see the LK forum observations and images: LINK
The heron colony can be watched by the dirigible web camera LINK
The observed colony is at the moment held to be the largest in
The colonies of the fish-eating herons can sometimes be located tens of kilometres away from a water body. The cautious but loud-voiced birds build their nests in the tree crowns to get a better overview of the surroundings. Neighbours building a new nest in the same nest tree are tolerated.
The food base consists of smaller kinds of fish available in the water bodies; during the spawning period of amphibians frogs that have lost their prudence are caught, and invertebrates and even small mammals are sought out.
The web camera testifies to the fact that in the grey heron colony great egrets also nest from 2015 – in the opinion of some people among the most beautiful of European birds.
In the next few days we will discuss the exterior of herons more in detail.
