Nature lovers in Clydebank are being urged to help conserve the area’s herons.

These long-legged waterbirds are a familiar sight along the coast and riverbanks where they catch fish.

However, the British Trust for Ornithology want to make sure heron numbers are not declining and are calling for volunteers to provide them with information on heron sightings.

They particularly want birdwatchers to visit heron nesting areas – called heronries – and count the number of nests they find.

Typically, herons nest in tall trees and observers can count them without causing too much disturbance.

The BTO’s Heronries Census has gathered nest counts annually since 1928 at an increasing proportion of the UK’s heronries.

They say: “We aim to count as many heronries as possible each year and to ensure that newly established sites are quickly discovered and brought into the programme of annual counts.

“Nesting often persists for many decades at the same location and become very well known to birdwatchers.

“Grey herons in particular are monitored efficiently and accurately by counting ‘apparently occupied nests’ in their heronries.

“We may not know about all heronries, so if you find a colony of nesting grey herons or other waterbirds and suspect it may not be known to the Heronries Census, please report it to us.”

If you want to take part, you can get all the information you need at bto.org/volunteer-surveys/heronries-census.

You can also contact the BTO to make a general enquiry at herons@bto.org.

Heron studies are just one of several BTO projects which the public can join.

Another is currently looking at owls.

The BTO says: “Owls play a very important role in our environment.

“We urgently need people’s help to understand more about the ecology and population status of owls in the UK.

“As apex predators they sit at the top of the food chain and are therefore excellent indicators of the health of the countryside.”