Friday, 17 July 2026

Western Reef Heron

A few weeks ago, I went in search of a bird that was a first for the UK. The Western Reef Heron had been moving around the Welsh coast for two or three weeks at this stage. Starting off down South and then moving to the North West, before spending a few days in Conwy. It was too tempting for me not to go and see if I could find it. 

It was an early start to get to the RSPB reserve where it was last reported, but it wasn't there. Word came through that it was on the estuary a few miles away. I soon, got my binoculars on it, before setting up my tripod and watching for a couple of hours. An amazing looking bird that usually resides in West Africa, it was similar in size to a Little Egret, but a rather nice looking blue colour instead of white. I was delighted to get it on the list.😀😀

You can see my escapade here:

Western Reef Heron







16 comments:

  1. What an incredible find and brilliant photos! Congrats on successfully twitching such a stunning bird!

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  2. Hello Adam,
    Awesome sighting of the reef heron, beautiful bird and great photos.
    Congratulations on your sighting. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great day and a happy weekend!

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  3. Hello Adam :)
    Congratulations on your sighting of the Reef Heron.and your great photos. I enjoyed seeing the otter, caterpillar, ducklings ,and other water birds too.
    Have a nice weekend.
    Sonjia.

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  4. The Western Reef Heron is beautiful. Congratulations!

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  5. How exciting! It's one of the best feelings in the world to actually SEE a bird you've never seen before. I'm so happy for you. Great photos!

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  6. How great that you found it.

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  7. Hello Adam,
    What an amazing sighting of the reef heron!
    A species I didn't even know existed.
    The photos are beautiful.
    Have a nice Sunday.
    All the best, Irma

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  8. ...Adam, heron are so interesting, there are many varieties that population around the world. It's good that you were able to see the reef heron. Happy birding to you and good health.

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  9. Lucky find! I never saw one for real. Well, how, in the city! ;-)

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  10. This one is a beauty, Adam!

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  11. That’s a remarkable find, Adam.
    The heron looks gorgeous in your photos--so glad you managed to see it!

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  12. Always great to photograph a new find. Happy birding. Have a great week and thankyou for visiting my blog this week

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  13. Thank you for visiting my blog Adam. I follow you now. Beautiful photos of the heron. I never saw one.

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  14. That must have felt amazing. Your photos are wonderful.

    -Soma

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