Rare night heron spotted at National Trust site

A bird rarely seen in the UK has been caught on camera in Somerset, raising hopes that work to restore freshwater habitats could provide a refuge for it.

The black-crowned night heron is widespread across Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe but has now been spotted at National Trust's Holnicote Estate, near Minehead.

This comes as conservationists at the estate introduced new freshwater habitats, providing a refuge for the heron, but also water voles, otters, pine martens, and even white-tailed eagles.

Ben Eardley, project manager for Somerset Coast and Countryside, said: "It's rare to see this wetland species in the UK and so exciting that we have observed one on our estate cameras."

Eardly added: "The UK has lost over 97% of its wetlands through drainage and changes in land management. Renewing existing wetlands and identifying opportunities to create new areas will help wildlife thrive, improve water quality, reduce flood risk and create more resilient landscapes for future generations."

The first confirmed breeding of night heron in the UK was recorded in Somerset in 2017, but it is a scarce visitor to the UK.

As its name implies, it is mainly active at night – making it doubly difficult for people to spot.

Holnicote Estate beaver and wetlands project officer Jack Siviter said: "We are continuing to focus on wetland creation through our project work, as well as letting beavers modify and produce these habitats at scale.

"If we can do this successfully, we are likely to see more wetland specialists arrive at Holnicote, and who knows – night herons might continue to appear."

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