Successful Egret & Heron breeding pairs

Stanborough Park welcomed its first pair of breeding egrets in May 2016; since that time the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust have been conducting Grey Heron and Little Egret censuses and ringing at the park to monitor the numbers and the success of the breeding pairs.

No ringing took place there in 2020 and accurate surveying was difficult in view of Lockdown restrictions due to the Coronavirus pandemic. A small number of chicks were ringed in 2021,  however this year we are pleased to say that the Trust were able to increase their efforts in view of the rise in the number of nests of both species; twelve Grey Heron and at least five Little Egret had been spotted by the late spring.

Barry Trevis from The Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust reported that they made a visit on 8 May 2022 with the cooperation of several Better staff who were able to provide access to the rowing boats in order to carry out the census. They were able to identify the location of egret nests and found them with eggs but not chicks.

The egret’s nests were checked again later in the year and found chicks had hatched in three nests.

There were an estimated eight occupied nests in 2022 and the nesting birds have started to spread out from the original south island on the North Lake to two other islands. In total, 10 young were eventually ringed and colour-ringed in 2022; the highest ever total of this species ringed at the Stanborough Park.

Re-sightings of five Stanborough-bred egrets have been reported both locally and as far afield as the Thames Valley, the Midlands, Derbyshire and Southampton.

The breeding Grey Herons have been monitored over the period and have increased from 5 nests to 12, with some colonisation onto adjacent islands albeit the south Island continuing to be the stronghold. It is felt that some breeding herons have moved from the nearby Brocket Park colony, which no longer has held breeding herons for the past three years. The herons at Stanborough Park mainly build their nests in the very tops of the island trees so are inaccessible to reach for ringing the chicks. One low nest had two heron chicks in May 2022 and these could be reached and were ringed.