As I was coming home at 7.30 last night along the main Steart lane, a bird was flying diagonally across the first field on the left past Marsh Farm towards the road and towards me. My initial thought was an owl. Mind was working fast and I realised it was not a Barn Owl as it was showing no white. Short-eared Owl then; but as it rose above the horizon and our converging paths had brought it much closer, it transformed itself into a heron - a small, all dark (brown?), round-winged heron. It crossed the road, and I slammed on the brakes and wound down the window only for it to have totally vanished. It may have put down between the road and the new bank on the right or it just got lost in the fading light. I was in city shoes and had no binoculars, so that was that. However, definitely a small heron, 90% certain it could not have been an egret since it showed no white at all (although fading light can play tricks). Night heron is best guess - right size, shape, colour, time of day, but Little Green Heron could be an outside possibility. Will try and check again at dusk this evening, but it will probably be the one that got away.
