Bird, bug, butterfly and a wild variety of photos from Belarus, Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Scotland and Spain by Irish wildlife photographer Patrick J. O'Keeffe and invited guests

Showing posts with label heron. Show all posts
Showing posts with label heron. Show all posts

Tuesday 31 January 2017

BLACK CROWNED NIGHT HERON (Nycticorax nycticorax) Albufera Marsh, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain


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The Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), more commonly known as Night Heron, is a medium sized heron in the family Ardeidae which is in the genus Nycticorax. It is the most widespread heron in the world but is absent from large parts of North Africa, Northern Eurasia and Australasia as well as the more northern and colder regions. There are four subspecies or races generally recognised. The northern populations are migratory and winter in the southern parts of the range.

Monday 19 December 2016

SQUACCO HERON [Male] (Ardeola ralloides) Palaiochora Harbour, Palaiochora, Crete, Greece


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The Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides) is small heron of the family Ardeidae which is in the genus Ralloides. It is resident south of the Sahara Desert in western, eastern and south eastern Africa, including Madagascar. There is also a small population in Morocco and Algeria on the North West African coast. In addition, this heron occurs as a summer resident in central and southern Europe as well as in western central Asia. In the autumn, it migrates back to Africa to spend the winter months there. Its diet includes frogs, lizards, small fish and a wide variety of invertebrates. 

Text © Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Rawbirds.com

Tuesday 11 October 2016

LITTLE EGRET (Egretta garzetta) Palaiochora Harbour, Palaiochora, Crete, Greece


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The Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) is a small member of the heron family Ardeidae which also includes Bitterns and Herons. It is found in the temperate parts of Eurasia and Africa as well as Australia and New Zealand. Over the last 60 years or so this species has greatly expanded its range including recolonising its former breeding areas in Northern Europe. It first bred in the Caribbean in the mid 1990’s and is increasingly being recorded along the North American eastern seaboard.

Text © Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Rawbirds.com

Wednesday 8 June 2016

BLACK CROWNED NIGHT HERON [1st summer] (Nycticorax nycticorax) Palaiochora Harbour, Palaiochora, Crete, Greece


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The Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), more commonly known as Night Heron, is a medium sized heron in the family Ardeidae which is in the genus Nycticorax. It is the most widespread heron in the world but is absent from large parts of North Africa, Northern Eurasia and Australasia as well as the more northern and colder regions. There are four subspecies or races generally recognised. The northern populations are migratory and winter in the southern parts of the range.

Sunday 14 February 2016

LITTLE EGRET (Egretta garzetta) Palaiochora Harbour, Palaiochora, Crete, Greece

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The Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) is a small member of the heron family Ardeidae which also includes Bitterns and Herons. It is found in the temperate parts of Eurasia and Africa as well as in Australia and New Zealand. Over the last 60 years or so this species has greatly expanded its range including recolonising its former breeding areas in Northern Europe. It first bred in the Caribbean in the mid 1990’s and is increasingly being recorded along the North American eastern seaboard.

Reference: Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds

Friday 5 February 2016

GREY HERON (Ardea cinerea) with CORKWING WRASSE (Symphodus melops) at Palaiochora Harbour, Palaiochora, Crete, Greece

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The Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) is of the family Ardeidae and is in the genus Ardea It is resident in the temperate regions of Eurasia as well as eastern and sub Saharan Africa. The more northern populations are migratory and move south for the winter. Wetlands are its main habitat and commonly occurs along estuaries, streams, rivers and lakes. Aquatic as well as terrestrial creatures are preyed upon. Prey items include amphibians, insects, reptiles, small mammals and birds which are swallowed whole.
This species nests in tall trees in colonies which are known as heronries. Upto five eggs are laid and are incubated for 25 days. Fledging takes place after 60 days.
 
Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds
 
 Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) distribution map
 Breeding     Resident     Winter     Vagrant      Introduced resident 
 
SanoAK: Alexander Kürthy, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons 


 


Saturday 24 October 2015

PURPLE HERON (Ardea purpurea) Hortobágy National Park - The Puszta, Hortobágy, Debrecen, Hajdú-Bihar megye, Hungary

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There are 65 species of heron (which includes Bitterns and Egrets). The Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea) is resident in Africa and southern Asia. It is also a summer breeding resident in eastern and and western Asia as well as central and southern Europe. The northern populations are migratory and with the onset of colder weather in late autumn, they migrate south to Africa and to southern Asia to spend the winter there. This secretive species can at times be difficult to locate. Its preferred habitats are reed beds or ditches and unlike most other species of heron, it is generally no found out in the open. Text © www.rawbirds.com

Sunday 30 August 2015

SQUACCO HERON (Ardeola ralloides) Hortobágy National Park - The Puszta, Hortobágy, Debrecen, Hajdú-Bihar megye, Hungary

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The Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides) is resident south of the Sahara Desert in western, eastern and south eastern Africa, including Madagascar. There is also a small population in Morocco and in Algeria on the North West African coast. This small heron also occurs as a summer resident in central and southern Europe as well as in western central Asia. In the autumn, it migrates back to Africa to spend the winter months there. Its diet includes frogs, lizards, small fish and a wide variety of invertebrates. Text © www.rawbirds.com

Thursday 13 August 2015

GREAT EGRET (Ardea alba ) Hortobágy National Park - The Puszta, Hortobágy, Debrecen, Hajdú-Bihar megye, Hungary

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The Great Egret (Ardea alba) is widely distributed across the temperate and the tropical regions of the world. There are four subspecies generally recognised, A. a. egretta is commonly encountered in the Americas, A. a. alba occurs in western, central and southern Europe and has in recent times colonised new areas north of this range,  A. a. melanorhynchos is present in Africa and  A. a. modesta occurs in southern Asia and Australasia which some authorises recognise as a separate species - Eastern Great Egret (Ardea modesta). Text © www.rawbirds.com

Thursday 17 April 2014

SQUACCO HERON Ardeola ralloides Lucio de la Rianzuela, Dehesa de Abajo, Seville, Andalucia, Spain

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The Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides) is resident south of the Sahara Desert in western, eastern and south eastern Africa, including Madagascar. There is also a small population in Morocco and Tunisia on the North West African coast. This small heron occurs as a summer resident in central and southern Europe as well as in western central Asia. In the autumn, it migrates back to Africa to spend the winter months there. Its diet includes frogs, lizards, small fish and a wide variety of invertebrates. Text © www.rawbirds.com

Monday 7 October 2013

GREY HERON (Ardea cinerea) at Prospect Point, Broadmeadow Estuary, Swords, Fingal, Co. Dublin, Ireland

 
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Click external link here for detailed species information
Click external link here to see distribution map and to hear calls
 
The Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) is of the family Ardeidae and is in the genus Ardea It is resident in the temperate regions of Eurasia as well as eastern and sub Saharan Africa. The more northern populations are migratory and move south for the winter. Wetlands are its main habitat and commonly occurs along estuaries, streams, rivers and lakes. Aquatic as well as terrestrial creatures are preyed upon. Prey items include amphibians, insects, reptiles, small mammals and birds which are swallowed whole.
This species nests in tall trees in colonies which are known as heronries. Upto five eggs are laid and are incubated for 25 days. Fledging takes place after 60 days.
 
Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds
 
 Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) distribution map
 Breeding     Resident     Winter     Vagrant      Introduced resident 
 
SanoAK: Alexander Kürthy, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons 

Monday 10 June 2013

SQUACCO HERON (Ardeola ralloides) Kalloni Saltpans, Kalloni, Lesvos Island, Greece


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Click here for detailed species information
Click here to see distribution map and to hear calls

The Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides) is resident south of the Sahara Desert in western, eastern and south eastern Africa, including Madagascar. There is also a small population in Morocco and Tunisia on the North West African coast. This small heron occurs as a summer resident in central and southern Europe as well as in western central Asia. In the autumn, it migrates back to Africa to spend the winter months there. Its diet includes frogs, lizards, small fish and a wide variety of invertebrates. Text © www.rawbirds.com