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Wednesday, 13 January 2021

Wild Bird Wednesday 442 - Nankeen Night Heron

The Nankeen Night Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus) is a widespread bird in Australia.  Some sources suggest it may be generally a bit under reported as it only becomes active at dusk.

I found these two birds - and at least 8 others - in some tall trees in the middle of a park in Queenscliff in Victoria.  My attention was drawn to them by a bit a squawking from one of the juvenile birds.  I suspect that I would have missed them entirely if they had made that noise.

The birds are about 60 cm long, with a wingspan of just over a meter.  The juvenile bird lacks the black cap of the adult and also has heavily streaked plumage.

Adult






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21 comments:

  1. Yamini MacLean13 January 2021 at 02:21

    Hari OM
    All herons have a geeky cuteness about them, I think - and the Nankeen is no exception! Nice spotting... YAM xx

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  2. Marie Smith13 January 2021 at 02:36

    Sometimes the boisterous behaviour of youth is a good thing. Love these shots. Thank you for sharing.

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  3. Breathtaking13 January 2021 at 02:55

    Hello!:=) Wow, great sighting and photos of this large bird. I also find birds because I hear them before I see them. Actually it's usually hubby who see's them first, I just hear them!:=)

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  4. David M. Gascoigne,13 January 2021 at 02:55

    I remember these birds well, Stewart. The first I ever saw were at a park in Sydney, NSW. Obviously they were inferior to Victoria birds, but very handsome nonetheless.

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  5. Brian King13 January 2021 at 03:24

    Beautiful! They look similar to our Green Heron.

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  6. Margaret Birding For Pleasure13 January 2021 at 03:42

    Great shots and well done for seeing so many at one time. Thanks fos hosting, stay safe and have a good week ahead

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  7. Kenneth Cole Schneider13 January 2021 at 04:07

    I wonder if there were nests in that area, as our Yellow-crowned Night-Herons are just starting to gather in what had been a rookery for about 10 pairs. After the young fledged they all tended to roost there afterward. Your adult bird looks quite colorful and the young are boldly spotted as compared to our two species of Night-Herons. I happened to have a photo of one of the adults in today's blog.

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  8. Sharon Wagner13 January 2021 at 06:19

    Happy birding in 2021!

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  9. Duwan @MakeLikeAnApeman13 January 2021 at 08:04

    So cool! We just had a similar experience with a couple Black-crowned Night Herons in a park in Arizona in the US. We would have never known they were there they were so hidden in the trees but some other birders told us about them. At first they were asleep so it was hard to get a pic but once they woke up and started looking around I was able to get a few good shots through the branches.

    What a great find. Such interesting birds!

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  10. Rhodesia13 January 2021 at 08:48

    Attractive birds and great photos. Cheers Diane

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  11. Cloudia13 January 2021 at 19:57

    A cousin of the family I've never met. Great name! Nankeeeeeen!

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  12. italiafinlandia13 January 2021 at 20:38

    He is very nice.
    All the best, Stewart!

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  13. Lea13 January 2021 at 23:34

    Great photos! Herons are always interesting to see
    Have a blessed day!

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  14. This N That14 January 2021 at 05:48

    Nice catch!! Never heard of these!! Good photos..Hope all is well with you..

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  15. jp@A Green Ridge14 January 2021 at 09:19

    Awesome shots! Leave it to the youngsters to want the attention..:)jp

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  16. Linda14 January 2021 at 16:55

    Interesting. He's built like a heron but has spots like a starling.

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  17. Caroline 15 January 2021 at 01:28

    Hi Stewart, the night heron is very beautiful. Nice pictures. Stay safe. Greetings Caroline

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  18. Jocelyn is Canadian Needle Nana15 January 2021 at 04:56

    As always, wonderful shots of these interesting birds, Stewart.

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  19. Don Smiley15 January 2021 at 06:37

    Glad the kids squawked! I loved seeing that bird.

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  20. Dave18 January 2021 at 02:05

    love seeing Herons in trees, easy to forget how these bug birds roost. Lovely shots aswell

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  21. Ludmiła Jabłońska19 January 2021 at 05:34

    W ogóle nie znałam takiej czapli! niesamowita! Dorosły jest piękny, a młody podobny do bąka.

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