Herons in the Rain (1 Viewer)

[Richard Wiegold]

Hi!

There seem to be more Herons on the wing when it's raining. Does anyone else agree with me or know why they might be more active in these conditions?

Richard Wiegold

 

[gordon g]

Perhaps the rain obscures their view of fish, so making it a good time to move spots? (Not wasting feeding time?)
Locally I have found one bird which persistently flies and hunts at night (around 11pm onwards) - I've seen them active at dusk a lot, but not at night, so I'd be interested if anyone else has seen this behaviour.

 

[showaddy]

Yes I've notice both of these things - the flying in the rain, and also in the dark. I walk through local fields at night on a regular basis, and frequently find herons flying at night. There is some light in the sky from the nearby town and this seems to be adequate for them.

Mallard will readily fly in near-dark too, if surprised. This seems odd for a bird which - female at least - is able to hide so completely in daylight when nesting.

 

[Richard Wiegold]

Interesting thoughts...

I once got very close to a heron who was busy night-fishing in the harbour in Wexford town, and I've also seen them fishing and flying at night in Cork town. Oddly, I haven't noticed this in the UK, but I think herons are less common here.

Richard Wiegold

 

[Cicada0]

Perhaps the rain obscures their view of fish, so making it a good time to move spots? (Not wasting feeding time?)
Locally I have found one bird which persistently flies and hunts at night (around 11pm onwards) - I've seen them active at dusk a lot, but not at night, so I'd be interested if anyone else has seen this behaviour.

(Besides the fact this is 19 years late) These night-flying herons are making me wonder, did I really see an owl that big or was it a heron? That’s why I’m here right now and I’m leaning on heron because I’ve never seen an owl with the huge long wing shape I just saw, to the point it’s making me consider it’s a heron, which I think it is.

 

[kids]

Perhaps the rain obscures their view of fish, so making it a good time to move spots? (Not wasting feeding time?)
Locally I have found one bird which persistently flies and hunts at night (around 11pm onwards) - I've seen them active at dusk a lot, but not at night, so I'd be interested if anyone else has seen this behaviour.

They do hunt at night , especially if the area has artificial light nearby

 

[Elkhornsun]

While in college the car port that I slept in had a large redwood tree beside it and a colony of night herons. They would fly out at dusk and return in the morning make a great deal of noise at both times.