Kinross ‘Heron Whisperer’ Says the Birds Have Views on the New Nature Trail, Mostly Positive
Retired teacher Margaret Bain has walked Loch Leven every morning for 22 years. She says one heron, Derek, is 'very territorial'.
A heron, possibly Derek, at Loch Leven. Photo: SwiftlyGinger, “Grey Heron pair over Loch Leven”, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Margaret Bain, a retired primary teacher from Kinross, has walked the shores of Loch Leven every morning for 22 years and claims to know every heron on the loch by sight.
“There’s Derek, he’s the big one by the pier. There’s Morag, who’s shy. And there’s a young one I call Kevin, who’s still learning,” Margaret said. “Kevin dropped a fish on my head in 2023. We’re past it now.”
Margaret has welcomed plans for a new nature trail for children. “Children should learn about herons. They’re patient, they’re elegant, and they never complain. They’re everything a P5 class isn’t.”
She says Derek is “less keen”, being “territorial about the play area”, but she is confident he will come round. “He came round about the new car park. He just stood there looking at it for three weeks. Then he accepted it.”
The real story: Loch Leven nature trail plans (The Courier)
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