{"id":22646,"date":"2022-12-15T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-14T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=22646"},"modified":"2022-12-15T10:45:35","modified_gmt":"2022-12-15T09:45:35","slug":"approach-with-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/2022\/12\/15\/approach-with-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Approach with care"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This month, go heron watching \u2013 but try not to be seen <\/p>\n\n

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Grey herons hunt by walking through the shallows or standing still <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

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Gillian Clarke presents the grey heron on<\/span> Tweet of the Day <\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

THE GREY HERON BREEDING SEASON IS but weeks away \u2013 from early February, these birds start to pair up and construct their messy stick nests. In the meantime, short midwinter days can be excellent for heron watching. Grey herons do much of their hunting in the half-light around dawn and dusk, striding through the shallows or standing stock-still with a characteristic hunched neck. Approach cautiously, because they are famously nervy, quick to take off with an irritated croak. As naturalist Amy-Jane Beer says in The <\/em>Flow, <\/em>\u201cherons can\u2019t bear to be watched,\u201d adding it may help to scrutinise them sidelong. <\/p>\n\n

Between their solitary fishing sessions, grey herons spend an inordinate amount of time standing around in fields, often in groups. It appears that while loafing they are simply digesting their last meal. Given they can swallow eels 20\u201330cm long, these may be pretty substantial. <\/p>\n\n

BH <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

PHOTOS: HERON: DANNY GREEN<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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