Rare bird, but you wouldn't think so when you see where it landed!!

[John]

After the end of our holiday in Cornwall it was planned that we would call into Prawle Point on the way home for the Cirl Bunting then to Newton Abbott to call into a friend of ours. Imagine my surprise when early on in the week a Juvenile Squacco Heron turned up right by our friends house. Obviously I was concerned whether or not it would stay as it appeared that it was commuting between a park in the centre of Newton Abbott and the river Teign.

Saturday arrived and of we set from St Agnes (Nr Perranporth, where a Tawny Owl swooped low over the car) to Prawle (south of Kingsbridge in Devon) and within 2 minutes of arrival I found a pair of Cirl's (good start) then walked the 25 yards up the lane from the car park to where a Radde's Warbler had been seen the previous day (luck ran out as it hasn't shown since). As we were leaving Prawle the pager announced that the Squacco had arrived at the park in Newton abbott and we were off.

The park was easy to find and as as soon as I parked up I could see a bank of birdwatchers with scopes and bins up only 100 yards away from me. Surely it couldn't be here, in the centre of a main town, right at the side of a road in a public park by an ornamental pool??

First surprise was walking straight into Paul Hackett. He is one of the best bird digiscopers in the land and we have met in the field many times. he had come down from Stockport and was on his way to Cornwall and decided to call in for the Squacco on his way.

2nd suprise was turning around and seeing the Squacco only 20 feet away, standing on a concrete pool wall. This bird has made his fishing home on an ornamental pool in a park in the centre of Newton Abbot and right by the side of the road. it was totally surreal watching people walking by, pushing prams, eating sandwiches whilst sitting on park benches and a row of birders armed with scopes & bins and not needing any of them as the bird was so close.

I know Paul has got some fabulous photos of the bird but as usual I had filled my card and was just changing it when the Heron dropped into the water and caught a largeish fish and proceeded to swallow it. Of course I had to rush for a photo but I doubt if it will be anywhere near as good as Pauls fabulous shots of that moment, but here is a selection of some of the shots I took.

The 2nd shot was taken with my 5 x telephoto lens and shows a young woman pushing a pushchair behind the bird.

As I said earlier, definitely a surreal moment for me.

[Diane]

Incredible shots, John. Strange place for a Squacco to turn up.