The Grey Heron and the frankfurter sausage
I’m in London for a conference. It’s a whole day event, but I’m speaking at the end of the day, so I drop my luggage off at the conference centre and sneak off into The Regent’s Park. It’s probably a little early for a display of Dahlias, and I don’t think they have Pelicans any more, but I expect to see a Feral Pigeon or two.
There’s a Grey Heron here. It’s spotted a man with a large bag who has sat down on a park bench. It walks over, quivering like a bag of cats on stilts:
The Heron’s here for the sausage. Can you see a piece of flying frankfurter?
It would be a little like the old ‘spot the ball’ competitions which used to count as entertainment if I photoshopped the sausage out. Here’s another piece:
There’s a Carrion Crow here too.
It’s not impressed with the accuracy of the Heron’s sausage-catching antics. It decides to pull the Heron’s tail feathers as hard as possible and then bounce away as soon as it turns round. It’s hilarious and continues as long as the sausage keeps coming.
Which is quite a long time.
Here are some Heron portraits from The Regent’s Park in warm autumn light:
It’s time for me to pack the camera away and go and speak now.
More Grey Herons
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Grey Heron ballet The Grey Herons are busy at RSPB Otmoor. I've only seen Grey Heron nests in trees before in colonial Heronries.… read more
Tame Herons The Herons in The Regent's Park in central London are tame. That's the only word to describe them. I've been… read more