Monday 30 May 2016

Squacco Heron at Ogmore-by-Sea

Squacco Heron
Squacco Heron
Squacco Heron
Squacco Heron
View of the flash from corner of car park
The Watermill Pub

I was well up for a days birding somewhere different over the weekend but I certainly didn't expect to be watching a Squacco Heron from a pub car park on Sunday lunchtime. The report came through just I'd finished at Salford so I jumped on to the M5 to join the M50 for the 2 hour journey. The traffic was light considering it was a Bank Holiday weekend and I was even more pleased that there were only two other birders watching the Heron feeding on a small flash. 

The stunning bird was in full summer plumage like I saw out in the Gambia and had certainly settled in well to its new surroundings, catching a range of small fish and frogs. Squacco's get their name from their piercing call and it was interesting to note how small the bird seemed compared to the resident Grey Heron's. 

This was my ninth new UK species for 2016 and a delightful one. Easy drive, plenty of parking and only a couple of birders present. 

No comments:

Post a Comment