Injured heron brought in

We’ve had an injured heron brought in today.  He’s a beautiful bird, a grey heron which is native in the U.K.   He has a bad injury to his leg so we’re not sure that he can be saved.  He can stand up but we’ll see what the vet says.  The most important thing is to do what’s best for the bird.

Herons are widespread throughout most of the world, except for polar regions.   They eat all kinds of water creatures and are carnivores – meat eaters.   They are unusual in the way that they hunt which is by standing motionless.  When you see a heron standing in shallow water and he isn’t moving, he’ll be watching out for something to come by and then, like lightning, he pounces and that long sharp beak spears his dinners.   I’ve often watched herons catching rats on river banks.   Nothing happens for ten minutes then Mr.Rat ventures out and in a second he’s caught, tossed up in the air and swallowed whole!

We’re hoping this heron can be saved and recover to go back to his life on the riverbank.