Drone gives bird’s eye view of heronry and reveals more nests than expected

Drone images giving a bird’s eye view of nesting herons at a stately home cared for by the National Trust have revealed surprising numbers in the heronry, the charity said.

A drone was used for the first time to get a better look at the herons nesting at Belton House, Lincolnshire, as part of the British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) annual heronry census.

The drone, which was flown 15 metres above the treetops and adhered to strict guidelines for wildlife monitoring, revealed 11 nests – nine more than expected, the National Trust said.

The National Trust said the strong numbers indicated positive effects of the charity’s conservation work to restore the stretch of the River Witham that runs through the Belton estate, including restoring natural features such as shallow areas and riffles to attract white-clawed crayfish and brown trout.

Mr Chick said herons could live up to 20 years, growing to around one metre high (3ft), with a wingspan of 1.85 metres (6ft), and can weigh up to 1.5kg (3.3lbs).

They usually lay their first egg in mid-March and only have one brood per year.

“It’s likely the herons have been present at Belton for decades, but thanks to the view from above this year we’ve been able to get a much more accurate record of how many are nesting in the heronry.”

Carl Hawke, nature conservation adviser at the National Trust, said: “It’s great news to discover our heronry at Belton is much larger than previously thought.”

The team at Belton hopes their discovery shows heron numbers in the county are improving.

Mr Hawke said it was clear the conservation work, which later this year will also see wetland habitat created alongside the river, was having a positive effect on the estate’s breeding population.