Have you seen any kingfishers or herons?

[riverside]

I have seen kingfishers on the Medway and Beult recently but didn't spot any herons.

[poledark]

We have Herons on the Lagoon, Kingfishers on Loggies (only the odd one though, the rest probably went to the seaside for the winter). The usual Wrens in certain swims, so they survived the winter. One of the Grebes seemed to be missing his/her mate, but another pair have moved in, and some of the swans are looking very skinny.

 

 

Frozen lakes and river in flood for several weeks didn't help.

 

Den

[Tigger]

Just Otters, mink and cormorants I'm afraid ....thousands of em...

[fishybreathe]

Have seen a heron on someones back garden wall whilst working in Watford on wednesday obviously stalking someones garden pond, and there was one on the pond i was fishing yesterday in Yateley.

[Bartman]

Can't say that I've noticed a particular decline in numbers of late. Remember watching a programme 6 or 7 years back about a problem with the Herons causing a high mortality rate amongst their young, this at a time when the Cormorants were moving into the urban waters in large numbers and so increased competition on the food front. Remember standing at the front of the Dorchester Hotel in the centre of London watching a Heron fish for the Goldfish in the tiny pond they have in the front garden there. Cleared the lot in three days but must have been a sign of it's desparation that such a usually shy bird chose a spot 15 feet away from a busy thoroughfare and constantly arriving vehicles when the Serpentine in Hyde Park was just a couple of wing flaps away.

Saw three together the other weekend in Chelsea Creek, although they may have been taking sanctuary from the West Ham fans who were in that part of the world for the day !

[weirwulf]

Seen herons a plenty but no kingfishers since the flooding. However I wouldn't normally expect to see them just yet even in a normal year. I assume they retreat when the floods come and find temporary homes somewhere safer so will only get really concerned if they don't show next month.

[RUDD]

I've just seen this rather worrying article, has anyone noticed any drop in heron or kingfisher numbers?

 

I can't remember seeing either so far this year....

 

Rich

 

I have seen two Kingfishers at Ladywood and a few Heron across Felixstowe penninsular.

 

Would a cormarant cull help these species?

[Bartman]

I have seen two Kingfishers at Ladywood and a few Heron across Felixstowe penninsular.

 

Would a cormarant cull help these species?

 

Just might !

[essox_lucius]

theres a nature reserve near me that breeds herons to release so the area is stuffed with them theres no kingfishers as the herons have ate all the fish

[arbocop]

I've not noticed any particular drop in numbers. I could imagine that both species would suffer if they relied upon stillwaters.

 

Not related to kingfishers or herons, I was out in the final day and heard at least five cettis warblers - a bird which used to migrate here but is increasingly staying as a resident. Berkshire is a bit of a stronghold for them. They rely upon insects and larvae so if anyhting was going to suffer I would have thought they would.

 

I live almost in the centre f town, and there are a lot less birds generally at my bird feeders. There were all sorts of rural birds in town this winter, notably a meadow pipit round the base of a lime tree in a local street and my garden was full of fieldfares raiding the berried shrubs.