I was just getting ready to go out Birding when I got a text, which was rapidly followed by more texts from other mates. All were saying that news of an adult Night Heron had just broken on the local Purbeck whatsapp group. Even better it was at the Rees Cox hide and had been found by Poole togger, Rich Stevenson. I knew that Rich only carries bins and a camera, so it wasn't going to be impossibly distant. I was out of the door as soon as I had grabbed the optics and camera and fifteen minutes later, I was trying to encourage the new parking National Trust machine to recognise my membership card. Finally, it did and I could walk quickly to the hide. Rich was still there and he pointed out it was sitting in the open in a bare tree on the far bank. It was my two hundred and thirtieth species for the Studland patch, not including Nightingale which I've only heard.
After about thirty minutes, it flew around and landed in a large tree. We could just see glimpses of it. I assumed it was going to go to roost.
We could see it was moving around in the tree and after a few minutes, it reappeared on low branches close to the water's edge, but nearly always tucked in the shade. For the next ninety minutes, it walked around the water's edge, looking for food. Often it was obscured, but every now and then it gave a clear view.
Finally, something spooked it, perhaps the Sika Deer that was nearby. It flew a couple of times before it landed in the same tree just before midday. I stayed for another hour, but it didn't reappear. Perhaps it had finally decided to get some sleep. It reappeared late afternoon according to Pete Moore.
This is the first Night Heron for the Studland patch and also the first confirmed record for the Isle of Purbeck. There is a historical Wareham record which could have occurred in Purbeck, but there are no details of exactly where that individual was and if it crossed into the Purbeck side of the border.
