Look up to discover the herons of RSPB Swell Wood …
Did you know that Swell Wood hosts the largest heronry in the southwest with over 100 pairs nesting in the trees here in the spring? Why not visit our Heronry Hide to enjoy the sight of herons carefully preening and rearranging long wing feathers as they incubate their eggs on the nest and listen to the cacophony of birds calling to each other and the rattling bills against each other echoing around woodland? Discover below how you can experience this incredible spectacle for yourself.
March is a great time to visit the heronry as the trees are still bare allowing easier viewing of the herons high in the treetops. Having arrived back to the wood as early as January to stake their claims to the best nest male herons spent February and part of March calling and displaying to attract a mate. Once the herons have paired 4 -5 pale blue eggs are laid in the nest and the parents take it in turn sitting on the eggs to incubate them.
From April carefully scan the nests to see if you can spot the fluffy head of a chick poking out over the top of the nest. Listen to see if you can hear the chicks loudly squawking for food, brought back by their parents. A range of items are on the menu for heron chicks including fish, frogs or small mammals. Don’t venture too close to a heron’s nest, if you upset it it may vomit the contents of its stomach on to your head! To make sure you don’t disturb the herons or end up wearing their breakfast, lunch or dinner please remain inside the hide.
Also, from April watch out for a flash of white in the trees as little egrets, another communal nester, as a small number join the heronry to start their nests this month. Look for the egrets greeting each other by rattling beaks together and showing off their fabulous plumes. They’ll lay 3-6 eggs, with the parents taking turns to keep them warm, once the chicks hatch, they’ll be fed a diet of small fish, frogs, mice, snails and insects.
In May and June young herons are beginning to stretch their wings to strengthen their flight muscles, climbing about their treetop home and practising flying. By July most of the nests will be empty, as the young herons will have fledged, and the spectacle will be over for another year. It will be about two years before this year’s youngsters return to have a family of their own.
Accessibility:
The Heronry Hide is located close to the car park – take the path next to the bench.
There is level access on a hard standing path to the hide. Inside the hide there are benches and one wheelchair space.
For our full accessibility guide see: https://www.accessibilityguides.org/content/rspb-swell-wood
How to get to Swell Wood:
The reserve post code is: TA3 6PX. The What3Words location is: grower.scouts.passenger.
For further information on traveling to Swell Wood see the ‘How to get here’ section on our website: https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/swell-wood/
What else can I see at Swell Wood?
Spring at Swell Wood is simply sublime. The reserve is full of birds such as nuthatch, treecreepers and long tailed tits flitting about feeding their young and bursting with the sound of bird song such as chiffchaffs, blackcaps, marsh tits and song thrushes. Plant life has also sprung back to life in spring and depending on when you visit you might also discover a carpet of bluebells, the delicate scent of primrose or fragile orchids swaying in the breeze.
's - John Crispin