We often see bird fights here, sparrowhawks going after buzzards, crows going after buzzards, thrushes going after buzzards, kestrels seeing off sparrowhawks. But I’ve just been watching a fight between a grey heron and a great egret.
Photo ©Christian Mehlführer
The egret was on the pond and was just swallowing a very large frog when there was a squawk and a heron dive-bombed it. The flurry of huge wings, white and grey as they had a go at one another was tremendous.
For the next fifteen minutes or so they stalked around the pond eyeing one another up. The heron rushed the egret a couple of times, but the egret, slightly bigger, stood its ground. It’s the heron’s pond and I don’t expect it had ever seen a bird bigger than itself before. I went indoors for my phone, but the pictures are blurry. Had to magnify by ten to get anything as the pond is about 100 metres from the house.
And, guess what? It was pouring with rain…
Jane Dougherty Writes 
