Terns Attack Heron

The Common Terns have taken to sitting on the platform where the herons like to fish at Warnham Nature Reserve. I walked into the Heron Hide having seen a large brown bird from a hide further down the millpond landing in the reeds near there, thinking it might be the Purple Heron spotted a few days earlier. No sign of the big brown bird but I was greeted by the sight of a heron being repeatedly dive-bombed by a pair of terns who were trying to force it off the platform. It was attempting to catch fish but their repeated attacks were preventing it from doing so until suddenly between attacks it managed to catch and devour quite a sizeable fish before eventually the terns succeeded in driving it away!

[@OlivierBillaut]

Exceptionnal visual production and video editing. So beautiful, sweet and smooth. Much inspired and talented. A real peaceful and relaxing pleasure to watch. Full of poetry and spirit. Good for the mind and the eyes. Fabulous filming. Big big big like for this fantastic perform and brighting sharing. Splendid and luminous.

[@susanbarnett2963]

Wow thankyou! Huge praise indeed! I am really glad you enjoyed it. I love to gaze at nature and to try to show the beauty of what I have seen. If one or two people understand what I am trying to say then I am truly happy. 🙂

[@sportsmediaamerica]

Do the terns see the heron as a threat to their own supply of fish? Or is it simply intra-species hostility?

[@susanbarnett2963]

The terns have only arrived there recently and a pair of them sit on that platform on and off for most of the day so I am guessing they have claimed it as their territory and that was why they were trying to drive the heron away-which they did in the end! The herons land there occasionally to fish.

[@susanbarnett2963]

I have since discovered that the terns are now incubating eggs there and that must have been the real reason I guess!