The sound of Kinewell heronry at 6.15 this morning. It was very cold but worth getting up for. All the calls until about 40 seconds into the video were made solely by grey herons – then some Canada geese joined in.
I’d only ever heard the “craak” alarm call before as a heron takes off across the meadows. In one of BB’s children’s books the sound is written phonetically as “frank”, which is also a dialect name for the bird itself.
These new sounds came from static positions in the trees where nests are being built. Communication appeared much more complex. The alarm call seems to belong to prehistoric times, and these braying, guttural squawks reinforce that.
I’m looking forward to the cries of the chicks in early spring. The Kinewell heronry only has a few nests – some can have a hundred. The sound must be awe-inspiring!
Leave a Reply