Night Heron
This is one of two adult Night Herons that appeared on the banks of the River Calder near Ossett in West Yorkshire a couple of days ago. Night Herons usually only become active at night and spend the day sleeping in trees, so I was surprised to see both birds actively catching Sticklebacks in the midday sunshine today. They are a rarish bird in Britain but with a peak of records in April-May and October-November. But records are tainted by escapes from captivity as a feral population of the American race hoactli originated from Edinburgh Zoo and bred in the area from 1951 to 2004. Similarly records in East Anglia are often suspected of escaping from Great Witchingham in Norfolk. Truly wild birds have not been proved to have bred in Britain but the colonisation of other heron species (Little, Cattle and Great White Egrets, Little Bittern) makes it likely that they will breed soon.
Night Heron
This is one of two adult Night Herons that appeared on the banks of the River Calder near Ossett in West Yorkshire a couple of days ago. Night Herons usually only become active at night and spend the day sleeping in trees, so I was surprised to see both birds actively catching Sticklebacks in the midday sunshine today. They are a rarish bird in Britain but with a peak of records in April-May and October-November. But records are tainted by escapes from captivity as a feral population of the American race hoactli originated from Edinburgh Zoo and bred in the area from 1951 to 2004. Similarly records in East Anglia are often suspected of escaping from Great Witchingham in Norfolk. Truly wild birds have not been proved to have bred in Britain but the colonisation of other heron species (Little, Cattle and Great White Egrets, Little Bittern) makes it likely that they will breed soon.