Four Herons Recorded at the Gully Pond

A grey heron patrolling the bank of the Gully Pond at Fairmilehead Park or skulking in the shallow water of the inflow spring is the first sign that the many frogs who spawn in the Gully Pond are awakening, and taking to the water. The smaller male frogs usually appear first and their eager croaks encourage the larger females, bloated with spawn, to join them in what soon becomes a frenzy of spawning lust. This has happened as early as mid-February here but generally the weather is unsuitably chilly until later in February or early March.

The Gully Pond level was very high on 12 February with no sign of frogs or herons. I saw my first heron on 12 March, by which time quite a lot of spawn was already well-developed.

Frog spawn floats and if the temperature drops much below freezing for any length of time the developing tadpoles will die. We have lost some unhatched tadpoles due to the cold snap this past week (March going out like a lion) but the first tadpoles have survived and their tiny black bodies are hanging from the empty spawn clump or clustering densely on the pond bottom.

One heron left the Gully Pond in heavy flight as I crossed Fairmilehead Park. I have seen two at the Pond - not sharing the bonanza but with one waiting on a roof top. Today I was told by a resident he had seen four at once - two on nearby sycamores, and two on trees at a distance. Definitely very unusual as they are not sociable birds when fishing.

My most unusual sighting of a heron was one frogging by the light of the full moon.