Herons

[Robinia]

I'm just curious - do herons make a clicking/tapping noise? (when not in flight).

[Cetti]

Only when they return from Spain after their hols.....

I'm not going to be much help Robinia, but I would imagine that they do. Birds with huge appendages like the pelican, toucan and the wonderful hornbills make a quite loud clicking/tapping sound.

Did you ever see that brilliant documentary on a particular pair of African Hornbills during a year of their lives. It started off with the poor husband having to construct 5 different nests before his wife was satisfied with his building skills - and it ended up with them both waddling off into the sunset together. Sorry, I've digressed somewhat!!

[Robinia]

Haha thanks Cetti!
I was down the garden this morning & I could hear a strange tapping like two bits of plastic clicking together but no one was about & I couldn't see anything. Shortly after my neighbour phoned to say there was a heron moving around the gardens - not unheard of but quite unusual so I wondered whether that's what I'd heard.

I didn't see the documentary but I love the idea of a husband building five homes before the wife decides. I think a human husband would have waddled off into the sunset alone after the first one!!

[logman]

I've not heared that kind of noise from Herons before but i have heared sounds like you describe made by crows on occaisions, also song thrushes smashing snail snails or may be a nut hatch, woodpeckers of course make more of a drumming sound.

[shaneystar2]

They do a lot of bill snapping in the breeding season robinia but that's usually around February. We used to have a flood meadow near us in London and there were several over there as the River Wandle ran along through the meadow.Wonderful birds to watch.Only get to see them here in Norfolk if we go up to the marshes in North Norfolk.They call them"marshmans harnsers" here.

[Robinia]

Thanks logman - we do have crows about so I'm not dismissing them but I couldn't see any about & they're also very vocal around here, usually when they're sitting on my chimney!

shaneystar maybe this one was practicing his snapping for the spring in private! What happened with your name - did you have a 'bit of bovva'?

[shaneystar2]

I expect he could have been weighing up the females Robinia and doing a bit of practice snapping !!
Yes I have changed my username. There is someone with a very similar name to mine and with all this imposter business I was a bit wary. But...computer dunce that I am it didn't work and I was still posting as shaneystar and then all of a sudden they booted me out so I had to reregister.
Have a nIce Sunday Robinia and keep an eye out for Mr.Snappy the heron !