Seen in flight at around 11 a.m. yesterday, from near the first viewing platform - it flew off to the trees behind the reed beds on the right hand side of the path. Also a cuckoo calling from there (seen as well).
Despite a 4.30am start I managed to miss both the Night and Purple Heron respectively! Still, a wonderful place to visit and many high quality birds and people met there over the past two days.
I finally caught up with the Night Heron at around 09.00 this morning when it made quite a long flight around Waltons and headed south to land near Long Drove area. My first in Somerset!
Adds weight to the set of morning sightings:
Has been seen at least 4 times 'early' morning, i.e. between 7.30 and 9.30;
And at least 5 times between 11am and 1230;
No other times though!
And all since 30th June.
Ps. Decent bit of wader habitat at the west end of the 2VP lake at the mo - you need to walk the grass path on the north side of the canal to view... Just had a Common Tern on it last night with a Green Sand flying round.
22-July-15
Adult Night Heron flew out from overhanging trees and along water channel on southern edge of Waltons at 10:50 hrs. Circled a couple of times, rising to just above tree-tops, then dropped back down into wetland immediately to the south of here. Couple of distant photos on my Twitter feed (levelsbirder)
23-July-15
Two further views of the adult Night Heron from the Torr View (central) Hide on Walton Heath at Ham Wall this afternoon, at 12:30 and again at 14:45 hrs, in flight over the southern edge of this part of the reserve. Mine was the second of these sightings.
