Pixiq

We have always encouraged wildlife to our garden – by creating ponds to lure frogs and toads, filling feeders and erecting nest boxes for tempting birds – but one summer we had an unexpected temporary resident.

My other half happened to emerge from a chemist into the local high street just as a young gray heron flew into the windscreen of a passing car. He picked up the dazed bird, checked the wings were not broken and carried it nonchalantly for a mile and a half back home as if it was perfectly normal to be carrying a heron under his arm. Nonetheless, this attracted a line of kids who followed him like pied piper up the hill firing questions at him. Martin released the heron beside our pond where the statuesque bird stood almost motionless until darkness fell.

I was up at first light and peered out of an upstairs window overlooking the pond. By this time, the heron had recovered sufficiently to be strolling around the pond eye-balling our resident goldfish. Not knowing how long it would stay, I grabbed a 500mm lens and crept along a raised terrace beside the house. Working without a blind, the bird accepted my presence so long as I refrained from making any sudden movement.  As it lunged towards a goldfish, I felt mixed emotions:  thankful the heron had recovered from its ordeal but sorry we had lost a fish – then another.  After breakfasting on several, it had perked up enough to take flight and fortunately, did not return to repeat its one night stand.