Night herons find UK breeding den

The UK’S first ever breeding pair of night herons have been spotted at a Somerset Wildlife Trust reserve.

The birds were photographed at Westhay Moor National Nature Reserve. Usually found in warm, tropical regions – just occasionally visiting continental Europe – it is thought the pair bred either on this site or nearby on the Avalon Marshes.

The two adults and two recently fledged juveniles are now roosting on the trust’s nature reserve. Night herons are opportunist feeders that eat many kinds of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine animal.

The news follows a positive trend for herons in Britain. In the Seventies, the grey heron and bittern were the only two species breeding in the country – with the night heron becoming the seventh to nest in Avalon Marshes, now seen as one of the country’s best wetland habitats.