Heron

You are probably most likely to spot a heron by the two ponds at the back of the Mountjoy buildings but they turn up from time to time at most of the other ponds on the university estate - in the Botanic Garden, on Van Mildert lake and Trevelyan college pond, for example. Herons are early nesters and will be feeding young in March... and the frogs that breed in all the above ponds are favourite food items. Once they find a good hunting ponds they'll return regularly, usually early in the morning before sunrise. They can spot the glint of water while flying over and that probably accounts for the arrival of the heron below on the roof of the Maths department - because there's a small pond in the courtyard next to lecture theatre CG91, just below its roof-top perch...

Photo coutesy of Michael Coxon

Photo courtesy of Stephen Applegarth

 

Photo courtesy of Stephen Applegarth

Photo courtesy of Stephen Applegarth