"Big Bird"

It was very dull but I went to Fishers Green this afternoon. The Bittern Hide was quite busy and I was recognised by a few people because of my togging habits. That's worrying. :)

I shot a water rail then went for a walk. I saw a young, tall, slim Adonis, with perfectly straight, shiny, long hair. He was balancing his mountain bike and looking through binoculars. I asked, "What can you see?" He replied, "Big bird" in a thick Eastern European accent. I expected it to be something in the distance but the heron was quite close and I managed to pick my way through the brambles to get even closer. When we used to sail Greece and Turkey with our young children, whenever we saw a large bird skimming over the waves they used to chorus, "Big Bird." Big Bird is a character from Sesame Street. :)

I got some nice shots and Adonis and a couple of other onlookers were delighted to see Jack catching a fish. Shame I missed that.

A heron's eyes are set wide apart. They can be directed forwards to provide binocular vision, enabling a heron to judge distance. The eyes can be directed downwards so that they can scan an area both ahead of and below the bill whilst keeping the head motionless.