Night Heron - Nycticorax nycticorax
Pictures by Ray Tipper - More about Ray...
More about Ray Tipper
Ray Tipper began his birding on the North Kent Marshes at the age if eleven. He left his native Britain in 1973 spending most of the next 22 years in Hong Kong. As a trustee of WWF he was intimately involved with its renowned Mai Po Nature Reserve. It was in Hong Kong that Ray turned to bird photography, which quickly became his major interest. He gained associateship of the Royal Photographic Society in 1990, and his photographs appear in journals and books throughout the world. Ray guides specialist birdwatching and bird photography tours and since 1997 has led more than 100 tours in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Madagascar. He now lives in the Algarve, where his intimate knowledge of its birds has been recognised by his appointment as Chairman of the Portuguese Rarities Committee.
Adult
Its essentially nocturnal habits result in the Night Heron being less often seen than other herons and, in any event, it is neither widespread nor common in the Algarve. Its hunchbacked stance is distinctive, but it is more likely to be seen in flight at dusk as it leaves its roost site to feed. The reedbeds of Ludo, Parque Ambiental de Vilamoura and Lagoa dos Salgados are all potentially suitable locations to look for this intriguing species.
Juvenile
Immature plumage is completely different from adult dress and superficially resembles that of Eurasian Bittern thereby providing an identification pitfall for the unwary.
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