Grey herons above the meadows this morning. I very seldom see them flying together. They appeared from upriver, one following the other, and further apart to begin with. There were a couple of loud calls as they came over North Bridge, then they came closer to each other before heading off towards Cotterstock lock.
It didn’t look like one was trying to scare off the other. No obvious belligerence. The nearest heronry is maybe seven miles upstream at Titchmarsh. If they are a pair with eggs I’d expect one of them to be on the nest at all times. But they could be a pair that hasn’t laid yet.
If they’re the foraging partners from different pairs then perhaps they’re not as territorial when far away from their nests? Maybe they even cooperate, or at least tolerate each other? Or they could be first year birds, which don’t mate till the following year. Just thinking aloud…
Leave a Reply