My Birdwatcher's Guide: The Grey Heron Nests of Rushmere

Spring is nearly here and the pitter-patter of tiny feet will be upon with lots of baby birds. One of the biggest is the Grey Heron.

At Rushmere Country Park which is just off the A5 between Dunstable and Milton Keynes, it is owned by the Greensands Trust and is really worth a visit particularly this time of year because about 120 yards away from the decking of the Visitor Centre in 3 of the trees there are 15 Grey Heron nests.

I have been to Rushmere before but even I was shocked when I saw Herons who are nearly 40 inches tall trying to land on thin foliage because I thought they were going to fall off. It is also the first time I have heard them make any noise as well and it is quite amusing and sounds something between a Velociraptor and a Crow or Raven.

The Visitor Centre used to be the Home of a local lady but she sold it to the Greensands Trust who have now turned it into a delightful Visitor Centre which is really nice, it has a café, friendly staff and also decking which looks onto the Heron nests, they have binoculars and knowledgeable volunteers who make the experience more enjoyable. It is worth a visit.

The difference between Male and Female Grey Heron’s is not significant, the males have longer bills and wings too, that’s all. When you see them on their nests its amazing. Some of the nests are really close to each other. One of the trees has 5 nests in it and when a nest nearby is left alone they tend to go in and steal each other Heron’s twigs and branches for themselves.

In the next couple of weeks the Heron chicks will hatch and apparently look like little punks with crests on their heads, it is amazing really that they can grow from the size of a Starling to being a fully grown Heron in just 8 weeks which is an incredible growth rate helped of course by the parents going out and getting fish, frogs, small mammals, other amphibians, small birds, rodents and even insects. They are also quite keen on the fish and frogs you have in your ponds, so cover them up with netting if possible.

It is a great place for you and your family to go to. They some amazing trees which the kids can climb, a Cafe and some good walks which will probably be better once the warm weather has arrived as they are quite muddy at the moment. It is a great place for kids to learn about nature and wildlife too and they have a few bird tables near the decking where the kids can see other birds they may not have seen before like nuthatch, coal tits and even the occasional Greater Spotted Woodpecker.