With Swindon Ranger David Boase

They may appear to be like scrawny ‘dinosaurs’ but herons are thriving

Imagine for a moment that you’ve gone for a well-deserved and leisurely stroll around Coate Water. You’ve taken the opportunity for some peace and quiet and you’re spending some time enjoying the relaxing views across a misty lake.

Robins, wrens and thrushes fill the air with sweet song, diving ducks send ripples out across the otherwise millpond calm waters. A picture of tranquility, as you would expect on a quiet, spring morning.

But then suddenly, out of nowhere, “RAAGGHHHH!” A rapturous noise erupts from the reed beds, and what appears to be a scrawny, grey dinosaur takes to the skies, lashing at the air with great, clumsy wings.

You could be forgiven for thinking you’d taken a wrong turning and ended up in Jurassic Park. Long, scaly legs with sizeable claws, a narrow, elongated beak, the awkward way it moves – lurching and labouring to get where it’s going… and of course… that squawk!

I’ve never heard of herons referred to as elegant or pretty, graceful or melodic, but they do cause a stir when they make an appearance, and I for one find them funny and fascinating in equal measure. Not only do they resemble clumsy dinosaurs on the wing, everything about their behaviour is quite extraordinary.

Spending so much time in the water and being so big and clumsy, you might expect herons to build their nests on the ground, but instead they choose to build their homes from twigs and branches, in only the highest trees.

Despite their shyness towards other animals, herons are social birds that prefer to live in groups, or heronries, to give them their proper name. Their massive nests can be a very strange sight, with as many as 10 in each tree.

And right now, nest building is the name of the game. Big males will fight each other for the best spots – even to the death if they must – so that their mate’s eggs will be laid in the safest branches, with the best access to the lake edge.

Soon those eggs will hatch, the hustle and bustle of the colony of more than 30 adult herons at Coate Water will be impossible to ignore, as struggling parents work tirelessly to meet the demands of their ever-hungry, soon to be huge, chicks.

To celebrate this time of year, the Swindon Ranger Team will be running a guided tour of the Coate Water Heronry on March 21.

Visitors will be able to get up close to these avian oddities, learn more about their lives, what they eat, and discover their specialist hunting skills, which have made them so very successful.

If you would like to reserve a place on this walk, please call the Rangers Team on 01793 490150 and book in advance, as spaces are limited.