Heron nesting amongst the reeds – a nature lesson for me

Distant heron standing in the reed bed

Last year I was watching a distant heron in the reeds on the other side of a lagoon in the wild part of Barnes Wetland Centre.

Heron and Coot on nests, with water-skiing Mallard

I knew that a nearby coot was on a nest but, only when I downloaded my photographs onto the computer, did I realise that the heron was standing on it’s own nest.   I was really surprised to discover this as I thought that herons only nested at the top of trees.  While I was watching, a mallard was having a water-skiing session along the water in front of it.

Heron standing on nest in the reeds

Heron on nest in the reeds

Heron tending to it's nest in the reed bed

Heron on water-based nest, plus reflection 

That day I learnt that herons do, sometimes, nest on the ground or, in this case, it looks as though it is nesting in the water!