THE FOX AND THE HERON January/February
2009
Last new year's day I went for a walk in my local woods in Devon,
wrapped up in my new Christmas winter coat, and was delighted
to be greeted by no less than 3 different foxes, all of them
in rude health, wearing luxuriant russet furs. It was a good
reminder that this time of year is still fruitful in terms of
wildlife encounters. Without its spring, summer and autumn fashion,
the bare landscape of winter in the woods afford us even better
views of hungry mammals, or last seasons nests revealed in bare
branches. This is nature's 'How to Look Good Naked' and I'll
trade a foxwalk for a catwalk anytime...!
Christmas and New Year TV is often repeating old black and white
movies, so as a healthy antidote to this shameless indulgence,
head out to the real world of black and white and go in search
of one of the celebrities of nocturnal nature, all the more visible
at this time of year.
Before you set out, a little bit of sensory awareness will assist
you. At night, our eyesight is not able to see in colour, the
'rod'-shaped cells taking over from our 'cone'-shaped cells to
make the most of the available light which is perceived only
through a filter of black and white. These cells are also particularly
sensitive to movement, If we allow our eyes to adjust slowly
to during the twilight hours and are not exposed to bright artificial
light, our night vision is much better than we think. Once a
torch is flashed in your eyes it will take another 45 minutes
to return to full night vision, so better to start without if
you can. One item of equipment you should take with you, however,
are your binoculars. Surprisingly, much more can be seen at night
peering through lenses than you would have thought possible.
Late January and February are great months to see live action
black and white movies. The drama unfolds as badgers are in mating
season, and emerge at a more sociable 7-8pm if undisturbed. There
is territorial activity, boundary patrols, scent marking and
plenty of whickering, growling and squabbling above ground, whilst
the cubs are born down below. This might sound all rather cosy
and 'Bing Crosby' to continue the black and white movie theme,
but in actual fact it can be a little more like Boris Karloff
as these young innocents are at the mercy of dominant boars,
or even infanticidal sows.
Spring is definitely in the air at this time of year, and even
though the cold and/or wet will bind you to your fireside, there
are by now some spring pioneers exalting in a new glory that
defies the bad weather and seduces you out of your winter stupor.
The sight of an exquisite grove of snowdrops in our wildwood
in Devon deserves its own pilgrimage, but all around a new season's
colours are bursting out of the ground like the starting gun
of spring to blaze the trail for later springtime flowers. The
sight of daffodils and crocuses, hazel catkins and elder leaves,
give a renewed sense of hope that the tide is turning, the earth
is stirring and that if we pay attention to nature, there is
plenty to observe.
One of the other 'black and white film stars' worth noting at
this time of year are the grey herons, one of the first birds
to breed. Watch these gangly pterodactyls now whilst no leaves
are on the trees and while they renew their previous years nests
with new sticks, squawking and grunting their desires and frustrations.
Both parents will incubate eggs in communal 'heronries' for about
25 days and all being well, if the winter is not too severe,
the young will add to the growing population, which has risen
by as much as a third in the last 30 years to 13500 pairs. Milder
winters may account for this, as they are of course vulnerable
to ponds and lakes freezing over, which for the starving heron
must be akin to standing outside a restaurant after its closed.
But they are neverthess a wildlife photographers dream, standing
so still for so long, a picture of grace and elegance. Their
fishing technique demands quiet, calm waters, patience and the
skill of a master harpoonist, and many juveniles will take a
while to adjust to the weird refraction of the water upon their
peripatetic prey items. Eels and fish make up the bulk of their
diet, but they will look for other delicacies like water voles,
young waterfowl, mice and rats.
Herons were hunted for sport by the nobility,
most often by hawk or peregrine, and roasted and relished for
the table (has anyone tried it - I can imagine the flavour would
be strong!). Nowadays, under legal protection, its Britain’s most widespread large
predatory bird and its success can also be explained by its versatility.
Herons can be seen in such diverse locations as marshes, ponds,
rivers, coasts and estuaries all over the British Isles, even
as far north as Orkney, so wherever you choose to ramble this
winter, 'Old Nog,' as Henry Williamson characterized it in ‘Tarka
the Otter’, won't be far away.
Happy New Year to you all from WildWise, and may the heron,
as Britain's own 'stork', be a symbol of something new arriving
at your door to represent new growth and hope for the year ahead!
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