what king of bird?

stevoman

its not anything to do with shooting, but im hoping i can use the peoples knowledge to find out what the hell it was i saw.
Anyways, yesterday on my way home from work i was just after getting off the bypass and was on the slip road heading home i noticed a pretty big bird flying really slowabout 15 yards in the air heading my way. As it came closer i had to stop the car dead on the road to see what the hell it was.

Its wing span was easily about 3 feet and what i thought it was from a distance was a gull except the wrong colour. When the bird came right over my head i noticed that its whole body was grey. It was a lovely looking creature and im full sure i have never seen one before. does anyone have any idea what it was????

ps - it definity wasnt a greycrow!!!!!

ViDuchie

Heron,

They look to fly quite slow because of their size. They also have a slow wingbeat and look huge in flight compaed to other birds over here. Also Grey. Very cool to see. I dont think people shoot these. Although I may be wrong, i'm not a shooter either.

ViDuchie

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1320/563248065_1ea151595d.jpg?v=0

??

foxhunter

Was it a buzzard you saw by any chance although the colour might be wrong .They are getting fairly common now over hear there is a breeding pair just over the road from me.

stevoman

no i dont think its was a buzzard fox. it didnt have the manarisms of a hawk. he was on his own and had a very slow wing beat as was said above. the picture viduchie has put up looks very familiar to it. it was a very nice sight i have to say. just seen him about a half mile from emo court in laois. the picture does look very familiar so it does. has anyone else seen these about? i honestly never seen one before.

just one thing though, his peak didnt seem to be as big as that of the heron, it was more kind of tucked in if that makes sense to anyone. i seen him straight on and not from the side so its hard to tell. but i can definitly say it was big and moved very slow, like a gull would.

Neo Researcher

I'd say a heron too. When my girlfriend saw one for the first time she described it as looking like a dinosaur:eek:

Neo Researcher

One heron is always in the river back home in Carrigaline, Cork. Just by the main bridge in the middle of the village. He is as dependable as fungi so much so that he has become like a symbol and a statue was made of him for the roundabout. Recently driving through Connemarra (where I had just collected a fox) was lucky to have one flying just above and to the right of my car so got a good look at it in flight.

foxhunter

They heron is common as muck down here wexford harbour is full of them .
We also have the eegrit down here im not sure but i think they arrived from africa a few years ago .Every river bank along the slaney has a colony now.Just while were on the topic of the grey heron my brother keeps japanese coi and grass carp in a large outdoor pond and the heron is a constant torment he can eat a 400 euro coi in one sitting no problem.

rrpc

foxhunter wrote:

Just while were on the topic of the grey heron my brother keeps japanese coi and grass carp in a large outdoor pond and the heron is a constant torment he can eat a 400 euro coi in one sitting no problem.

Tell your brother to get a plastic heron and plant it beside the pond. A heron will not invade anothers teritory, so the fish will be safe.

stevoman

is it usual to see them in the midlands then?

foxhunter

Tried that one already rrpc i think they just get used to it after a while he even has an electric fence around it still doesn't deter him

rrpc

foxhunter wrote:

Tried that one already rrpc i think they just get used to it after a while he even has an electric fence around it still doesn't deter him

Has he tried putting netting over the pond? Not very pretty, but it's certainly effective.

sidneyreilly

How about this:D

http://steelhawkairsoft.com/asc7-cd.html

rrpc

sidneyreilly wrote:

How about this:D

http://steelhawkairsoft.com/asc7-cd.html

Laughing aside, that could do the trick quite effectively and without damaging the heron (depending on what you load it with of course).

Flour would be pretty good, although you'd wonder if the heron would be back before you could reload it.

foxhunter

He has netting on smaller ponds but this one is nearly half acre so it would have to be a pretty big net.I like sidneys idea it would deffinitley be something different wouldn't it:D

Neo Researcher

Instead of netting the whole pond it might work to just make it difficult for the heron to get to the pond by running fishing wire around it

http://www.beautifulbritain.co.uk/htm/pond/pond_faq1.htm

Neo Researcher

stevoman it would seem from what birdwatch Ireland have to say it can be found all over Ireland.

Grey Heron

Ardea cinerea

Corr réisc

Harnser

Status: Resident

Identification: The grey plumage and stature of Grey Herons make them unmistakable. It is a very familiar species being widely distributed and a year-round resident in Ireland. Single birds are often flushed when posed motionlessly at the edge of water bodies, coiled ready to strike out at unsuspecting prey with its formidable spear-like bill. It feeds along the edge of a wide range of wetland habitats from coastal waters and estuaries to loughs, streams and marshy ground. They are usually encountered as solitary birds and sometimes as a pairs, although if observing breeding colonies - heronries - numbers can be in the 50s.

Call: Loud harsh croaking often given in flight.

Diet: Fish, amphibians, small mammals, insects and reptiles.

Breeding: Clutch: 3-4 eggs (rarely 2 broods). Incubation: 27-29 days. Fledging: 50-55 days (Altricial). Age of first breeding: 2 years. Grey Herons breed in large trees and can form large heronries, some of which have been in use for over 100 years.

Wintering: Grey Herons are found in the same wetland habitats during the winter as in the breeding season. Birds breeding in Ireland are thought to be sedentary and birds from Britain and even Scandinavia join our resident population for the winter.

Where to see: Wetlands around the whole country.

Monitored by: Irish Wetland Bird Survey.

rrpc

Neo Researcher wrote:

Instead of netting the whole pond it might work to just make it difficult for the heron to get to the pond by running fishing wire around it

http://www.beautifulbritain.co.uk/htm/pond/pond_faq1.htm

Only works if the heron walks up to the pond. Sometimes (and especially with a large one) they just land in it.