The Glace Bay Western Reef Heron
A Western Reef Heron from Africa Chose Glace Bay, Nova Scotia for its Summer Fishing Grounds
A Western Reef Heron, native to Africa, spent part of its 2006 summer in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. Natural history and identifying features of the bird are discussed.
A Strange Bird in Glace Bay
When a Western Reef Heron from Africa turned up in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, in the summer of 2006, avid birders started turning up as well, from all over North America. This was only the third time a Western Reef Heron sighting had been confirmed in North America. Lots of people just had to see this bird.
How the Bird Got to Glace Bay
Normally, when a solitary bird is found far from its natural range, it's assumed that some extreme weather event is to blame: birds caught in storms are thrown off course or carried large distances by winds. If they find land at the end of their flight, they often perish due to a lack of food or an unfavorable climate. The Western Reef Heron of Glace Bay, however, could be different.
A Western Reef Heron was sighted in Stephenville Crossing, Newfoundland, in 2005. It spent the summer there, and then disappeared. The Glace Bay bird has also remained in a small geographical area during the summer months of 2006. Many people are speculating that this is the same bird, and that it is wintering somewhere in the tropics and returning to the Atlantic Canadian coast for the summer months. If this is the case, it may turn up in other locations in future summers.
Herons
Typical of the herons in general, the Western Reef Heron is a long bird: feet with long toes supported by long legs, a long neck held in an S shape, and a long bill for catching prey in shallow water. The Western Reef Heron comes in two colours, grey and white - the Glace Bay bird is grey. It has a dainty grey plume on the top of its head, and surprising yellow feet. Also typical of most herons, the Western Reef Heron spends its time along the shore, wading or standing in the shallows, hunting for creatures that are common there - crabs, shrimp, snails, and fish.
The rest of the species resides primarily in coastal wetlands in Western Africa, the Middle East, and India. They mingle with other shorebirds and nest together in flocks. Nests are built in shrubs and trees and consist of a platform of sticks. Females typically lay two or three eggs.
A Future for the Misplaced Bird
Western Reef Herons are quite commonly seen in Europe, where they have been known to interbreed with Little Egrets and produce hybrid young. This suggests that, though separated from the rest of its species and unlikely to get home any time soon, the Glace Bay Western Reef Heron may potentially live a long and virtually normal life in North America, migrating with the seasons and pairing with North American herons.
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