It must be hard being a young heron. When they’re still in the nest, their food comes via home delivery, courtesy of mum and dad, but once they’re fledged, what then? It’s not like they can go to school to learn how to fish. There’s no one to teach them stealth, no lessons in stillness or focus, no tutors to advise on the best way to sneak up on a fish or a frog. What if they have poor eyesight, or two left feet? What if their natural inclination is to blunder noisily through the shallows? The reality is it’s just practice, practice, practice, all day long.

Luckily, it seems practice really does make perfect.