Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides
A very rare visitor to the UK from southern Europe. There have been a handful of Norfolk records but the following individual was photographed in Devon. It was discovered in a very atypical environment, an urban park, and quickly acquired a reputation for performing exceptionally well to birders, photographers and the general public.
%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Newton Abbot, 8-Oct-05") |
%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Newton Abbot, 8-Oct-05") |
%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Newton Abbot, 8-Oct-05") |
%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Newton Abbot, 8-Oct-05") |
%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Newton Abbot, 8-Oct-05") |
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Squacco Heron, Newton Abbott (Devon, UK), 8th October 2005
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In Europe they're often not quite so obliging (most of these are old photos scanned from prints):
%20L.jpg "Squacco Heron, Camargue, 12-Sep-02") |
%20L.jpg "Squacco Heron, Camargue, 12-Sep-02") |
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Squacco Herons, Camargue (Bouche-du-Rhone, France), 12th September 2002
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Squacco Heron, Birecik (Turkey), 14th May 2010
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In Africa I found them much more approachable (though being in a boat helps). Although the Palaearctic race ralloides winters in Africa these birds were probably the extremely similar locally-breeding form paludivaga.
%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Lake Chilwa, 15-May-11") |
%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Lake Chilwa, 15-May-11") |
%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Lake Chilwa, 15-May-11") |
%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Lake Chilwa, 15-May-11") |
Squacco Herons (race paludivaga), Lake Chilwa (Malawi), 15th May 2011
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%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Liwonde, 24-Sep-08") |
%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Liwonde, 24-Sep-08") |
%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Liwonde, 24-Sep-08") |
%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Liwonde, 24-Sep-08") |
%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Liwonde, 25-Sep-08") |
%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Liwonde, 25-Sep-08") |
%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Liwonde, 25-Sep-08") |
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Squacco Herons (race paludivaga), Liwonde National Park (Malawi), 24th-25th September 2008
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%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Liwonde, 26-May-11") |
%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Liwonde, 26-May-11") |
%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Liwonde, 26-May-11") |
%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Liwonde, 26-May-11") |
Squacco Herons (race paludivaga), Liwonde (Malawi), 26th May 2011
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%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Lake Chilwa, 26-Sep-08") |
%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Lake Chilwa, 26-Sep-08") |
%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Lake Chilwa, 26-Sep-08") |
%20L.JPG "Squacco Heron, Lake Chilwa, 26-Sep-08") |
Squacco Herons (race paludivaga), Lake Chilwa (Malawi), 26th September 2008
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Squacco Heron (race paludivaga), Mpatsanjoka, Senga Bay (Malawi), 9th October 2008
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%20T.JPG "Little Bittern")