Just a quick one: There was a distinctive hazy mist when I drove into work this morning. I had a good feeling about today. It’s May 1 and we have had a touch of east in the wind. This usually brings in something unusual. Sure enough, when I turned my computer on, I found an e-mail with some photos of a purple heron that was taken here yesterday afternoon. Well fancy that!
If you are not familiar with these birds, they breed as close to us as Holland and a pair even nested at RSPB Dungeness a few years back. They are a scarce but regular visitor to Britain during April and May each year. Here is a picture of one that was taken here in May 2009:
Photo credit: Lee Gregory
According to the description, the bird was seen in flight close to the railway line just this side of Joist Fen viewpoint. If it is seen again, rest assured that we will let you know.