The Herring Heron
Waits at every fish stall · Keeper of the canals
Grey herons live all over Amsterdam. Many wait beside the fish stalls, very still, like customers in a queue.
The legend
Grey herons live all over Amsterdam, on houseboats, bridges and canal edges. Many have learned that the fish stalls drop scraps, so they wait beside them, very still, like customers in a queue. The Dutch like their herring raw, lifted by the tail and eaten in a few bites, so the herons fit right in.
“I'd buy him a herring of his own.”
Where it comes from
The grey heron stands up to 1 metre tall, with wings that span 155 to 195 centimetres. It flies slowly with its neck folded back in an S, which sets it apart from storks and cranes. It hunts by standing perfectly still beside or in the water, then striking at fish, frogs and insects. Herons nest together in colonies called heronries, usually high in trees near water, and the breeding season runs from February to June.
Amsterdam's herons once snatched scraps from fishermen's buckets. In recent decades they have moved into the city in great numbers. In 2017 officials estimated about 800 breeding pairs spread over 25 neighbourhoods, many of them nesting in park trees. The Prague-born photographer Julie Hrudová has followed them for years in her series Herons of Amsterdam.
Where to see it
The Albert Cuyp Market, on Albert Cuypstraat in De Pijp, has been a daytime market since 1912. Herons gather on its striped awnings and road signs. By about 4 pm, when the stallholders pack up, some 20 of them may be waiting by the fish stalls, and the fishmongers leave the lids off their boxes of scraps. Herons also hunt for leftovers at the Dappermarkt after it closes, stand in Oosterpark and Flevopark, and visit Artis zoo around feeding time for the penguins and pelicans.
In the game
The heron lifts one foot, grips its herring tighter and gives the plane a long, patient look. The heron's neck kinks in surprise. It does not let go of the herring. The heron bows its long neck slowly and holds out the herring.
