Blogger: Murray Brown, RSPB Volunteer Project Coordinator
The RSPB's St Albans 'Date With Nature' got off to a flying start last weekend. The project aims to show people the nesting grey herons on the island in the lake and some of the other wildlife that calls the park home. Despite the weather being somewhat "British" on Saturday, RSPB volunteers and staff were out there with a throng of nearly 100 visitors watching the spectacle. We were delighted that this crowd had risen to well over 300 on Sunday!
Why not take a leaf out of the heron's book during this wintery weather and get active? There is plenty of activity at the heronry, with birds rebuilding last year's nests, displaying and courting. One pair evidently started proceedings early in January as they already have chicks in the nest! Although this seems early, the Herons' breeding activity has been relatively late in the last couple of years due to prolonged winter cold spells. The current estimate for the number of occupied nests stands at...drum roll... 14.
If these splendid herons with their lofty stature are not your thing then there are plenty of other birds that are winter visitors to the park on the lake, including large numbers of black-headed gulls, drake pochards and tufted ducks, who are looking especially handsome. If you have never seen a shoveler, with their comedy beaks then you could have seen the three amigos seen around the north island. A cormorant was at the lake on Saturday and resident green and great spotted woodpeckers were both recorded over the weekend. The local sparrowhawks are providing a bit of excitement every now and then and a kestrel treated visitors to a flyover on Sunday.
Thanks to our lovely volunteers, some telescopes and binoculars and fun activities - you can really take a sneaky peak into this world of long legged beauties.