AT first glance it looks like a garden ornament - a fitting feature in Great Yarmouth's tranquil Waterways. However, the peaceful setting has become home-sweet-home for two herons over the last eight months, and they are becoming an attraction in themselves.
AT first glance it looks like a garden ornament - a fitting feature in Great Yarmouth's tranquil Waterways.
However, the peaceful setting has become home-sweet-home for two herons over the last eight months, and they are becoming an attraction in themselves.
Paul Garrod, who runs the nearby Furzedown Hotel, said the herons patrol the north and south ends of the Waterways.
“They sit on the bank of the Waterways waiting for people to feed the ducks and then grab the fish as they come up for the bread.”
RSPB spokesman Erica Howe said they were usually solitary birds, very large and distinctive. “They are a good indicator of environmental health and well-being because they are pretty particular about where they fish, they don't just fish anywhere.
“They tend to be quite hunched but retract their necks in flight because they find it difficult to hold their heads up.” The birds are UK residents with around 14,000 nests countrywide.
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