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Project Noah Nature School
Egretta novaehollandiae
Sexes: alike. Immatures: lack white on head and cinnamon on breast. Voice: harsh croak. Size: 68cm. It waits and watches in shallow water for prey, sometimes puddling with its feet to disturb aquatic animals and also stalks for reptiles, young birds, frogs, rodents and insects. It often feeds in associated flocks. Sedentary or nomadic in search of food. Breeds all months. Nests high in a tree, sometimes well away from water. [Source: Australian Birds - A Concise Photographic Field Guide]
Familiar in estuaries, inland lakes, swamps and wet grasslands across the continent (Australia), it is probably Australia's best known heron. [Source: Australian Birds - A Concise Photographic Field Guide]
This bird flew into my garden out of nowhere. We're not particularly close to a body of water (there's a major water supply dam about 20kms east) and the nearest marsh lands are 15kms northwest. We do have some small garden ponds which have been a wonderful source of motorbike frogs this year and I think that's what this fellow was after. This one does appear to have juvenile plumage.
Spotted on Oct 3, 2012
Submitted on Oct 26, 2012
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