The village of Chearsley lies between Aylesbury and Long Crendon and close to the River Thame. Resident John Weston noticed an unusual bird visiting his garden pond on December 14th, and when it returned the following day he took the photos featured in this article.
The bird also returned on the December 16th but was not seen thereafter. During its stay the bird was seen to eat several frogs. John thought that the bird was a Bittern but was not sure, so a couple of weeks later he sent the photographs to Andy Harding, our County Recorder. Andy soon confirmed that the bird was in fact a juvenile Night Heron, which is a county rarity.
Photo by John Weston
Photo by John Weston
Photo by John Weston
Photo by John Weston
There have only been six previous records of Night Heron in Bucks, since the first one wayback in 1797.
- 1797 Cliveden – 1 immature shot
- 1899 Taplow – 1 in August may have been an escape
- 1967 Newport Pagnell GP – immature on 3rd Aug
- 1987 Willen Lake – juvenile on 26th Oct
- 2005 Old Wolverton – adult on 13th May
- 2017 Claydon Lakes – probably a sub-adult seen on several dates between 22nd Aug and 15th Sep.