Attenborough Squacco Heron

poschiavanus · #1 (**permalink**) 01-11-2011, 07:31 PM

A Squacco Heron has been around at Attenborough on the Notts/Derbys borders for a few days: I sunk as low as to go and twitch it today. 4th or 5th county record for Notts, 1st for Derbys. A couple of crude hand-held shots through the 'scope:

Much better images on Flickr.

Nice report on the BBC with vox pops by a few well-known local birders.

It looks as if its still happy in this location, but its best feeding position appears to be shaded by the railway bridge and with a large unsightly plastic bottle immediately behind it. Long-lens or digiscope required, and good luck with the light for a decent photo.

dunlin · #2 (**permalink**) 01-11-2011, 07:53 PM

Must be well and truly lost, over winter in africa. not a bad photo concidering

Adam Cheeseman · #3 (**permalink**) 01-11-2011, 08:15 PM

Pity it's not a couple of counties further south at least. I'd go for it.

Cheers,

Adam

tigertom · #4 (**permalink**) 01-11-2011, 08:24 PM

Would not mind seeing that myself but just little out of range, nice looking bird what a pitty to far

Never mind can allways see if spoonbill stays put on mersey side and go for that

MIKE

billybirder · #5 (**permalink**) 01-11-2011, 08:46 PM

Wow that's great!

nikolai_avenger · #6 (**permalink**) 02-11-2011, 11:34 AM

It has found itself a nice spot there under the bridge and has been showing really well. Upwards of 120 people were there on Sunday morning to see it. A great record for my home county of Derbyshire, and prospects are looking better for this bird than the last squacco heron that occurred in Derbyshire, which I believe was shot in 1876 on the banks of the River Dove or something similar.

Not sure why this one has chosen a far flung corner of Erewash instead of Africa but it takes all sorts I guess.

Cheers. Nik.

Adam Cheeseman · #7 (**permalink**) 02-11-2011, 11:47 AM

Is the bird hopping from one side of the county border to the other as it sems to be either in Notts or Derbys according to where the birder comes from?

Cheers,

Adam

nikolai_avenger · #8 (**permalink**) 02-11-2011, 01:01 PM

Literally, it is frequenting a small patch of vegetation in the middle of the River Erewash, which forms the Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire border. It has been on both banks and therefore technically speaking, both counties. It has also been seen on an island in the middle of the River Trent towards the back of Attenborough NR; the island itself is definitely in Nottinghamshire (about 1 mile in).

Cheers. Nik.

poschiavanus · #9 (**permalink**) 02-11-2011, 02:01 PM

There is a nice thread on BirdForums about its Derbyshire appearances, and the BBC report has a nice bit of editing on this theme.

This morning it was in the middle of the stream catching fish close to the outflow sluices from Toton Sewage Farm (as in my photos from yesterday). Not long before 11 it caught a decent sized perch, and after sizing it up for a while flew off in the Derbyshire direction presumably to somewhere where it could safely dispatch and eat its catch. It then was sighted again from its reflection on the water, this time sitting on a willow on the Notts side of the border. Some 10 minutes later we had a great flight view as it circled over the Sailing Club and settled further down the Erewash (again Notts side) on the remnants of an old metal bridge.