Warmer climate brings welcome invaders
This owl-like member of the heron family is a regular breeder on the other side of the English Channel and it is from there, presumably, that the entrepreneurial pair came. Non-breeding night herons have been visiting England in recent years. They are also rare vagrants to Ireland (one was seen in Bandon on July 26), so it’s worth keeping an eye out for this rather elusive marsh bird, as it may also begin nesting here.
Being tall and skinny is de rigeur in the heron world; necks legs and toes are always long. The night heron bucks the trend, however; medium-sized and grey plumaged, it is stocky and short-necked, with legs slightly shorter than those of the familiar grey heron. The crown is dark; hence the name ‘black-crowned night heron’. Large eyes enable the bird to operate in poor visibility. Oddly for creatures walking on stilts, night herons roost in leafy trees by day, venturing onto wetlands at dusk to catch frogs, fish and creepy crawlies under cover of darkness. They usually nest in trees with other herons and egrets.
