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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Henry the Heron and Cornelius Cormorant together on Harringay's New River

I'm still not yet so habituated to seeing a heron strutting along the banks of the New River in Harringay that I don't stop and take a moment to enjoy it. Whilst doing just that earlier today, i became aware of another of Harringay's new visitors swimming into view.

To see just one of them is a still a treat: to see them both together felt special.

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Ha ha. Cornelius wanted in on the star action! 

Fab. And definitely special.

Love it, but how do you know that they aren't Henritta and Connie. X

Are they?! Dagnabbit, I'm forever getting them thar birds mixed up.

One of my favourite runs locally takes me to the reservoirs and back for 5k. Last time I found all of my feathered friends

Great shot. 

The heron made it easy by following me up the river as if to say "I don't think you got my best side". He's (she's?) usually more shy!

Great video and photo. Thanks Hugh and Sarah. 

Are there fish in the New River for them to eat?  - a question only now occurring to me over 75 years after being born in the borough :-)

There are along with a plentiful supply of American crayfish. 

Wow, a feast indeed, Hugh!

An ornitholiterary query: a problem that has plagued me for decades

Was Christopher Isherwood unable to distinguish cormorants from shags? Or did he mean that both the shag and cormorant lay their eggs inside paper bags, and for the same reason of security? The conjunction 'or' in his first line is ambiguous. Indeed I notice the syllable 'or' is entirely missing from Hugh's headline: have you New River birders been discussing cormants or cormorants?  We may have confusion of both species and sex or even gender here, methinks.

The Common Cormorant or Shag

Lays eggs inside a paper bag.

The reason you will see no doubt

It is to keep the lightning out.

But what those unobservant birds

Have never noticed is that herds

Of wandering bears may come with buns

And steal the bags to hold the crumbs.

:-)

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