Photos of nesting Gray Herons and of a coot gathering leaves to build a nest. Below is a map of the park which lies in West Bromwich just to the north of Birmingham. Click to obtain a larger view.

Map downloaded from Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council website.

The Grey Herons return to nest every year in the Spring. They nest here high up in the trees on an island in Ice House Pool (see map). They are a large bird standing up to 1 metre tall.

Meanwhile, in the Cascade Pool nearby, a Coot was gathering vegetation which it carried back to reinforce the nest which was occupied by its mate. The bird could be seen diving under the water, pecking through the stems of water lilies then dragging them to the nest. Other strands and twigs were also gathered. Coots are a water bird a little smaller than the common mallard duck.

To view photos:

1. View a larger version of a single image in a separate page – Right Click on the image then Left Click on “Open link in new tab” or “Open link in new window”.
Or…
2. Display an enlarged gallery – Left Click on an image – use the large side arrows to move between images – Left Click outside an image or press ESC to close the enlarged gallery

Photos by Geoff Caine