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Western reef heron

Egretta gularis

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Field Notes

Description:

A western reef heron, spotted here in the Eastern mangroves near Abu Dhai, UAE, a sensitive and highly threatened environment. This wading bird occurs mainly on the coasts in tropical west Africa, the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and east to India. Notice the tuft at the back of the head!

Habitat:

Coastal wetlands.

Notes:

Spotted while kayaking in the mangroves. We also spotted a heron nest with three eggs, shown in the last two shots. The mangroves still cover thousands of hectares along the UAE shoreline. Excessive human activities and building have adversely affected these mangroves. Intensive replanting activities are taking place aiming at mitigating the environmental damages caused by the massive development on the island of Abu Dhabi.

Reference Links:

Western Reef Heron

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (9)
NicoleB
True. I see myself falling in with camera and all. Ugh. Had a close encounter during a clean up, 2 months back. Went past the tide line into the murky areas along a stream and all off a sudden sunk in knee deep, tipped over and almost dunked the camera. I thought camera and I would disappear,... But got out - even with my shoes (which was a challenge) :)
DanielePralong
Indeed kayaking is the best way to see the mangrove. Unfortunately taking bird pics from a kayak is challenging! Not much stability there...
NicoleB
I hope they can save the mangroves. Kayaking through there (guided) sounds like a such a great way to see the wildlife without disturbing it too much.
Elsa
Maybe? haha don't know.. I guess some birds just look more reptilian than others!
DanielePralong
Thanks Atul and Elsa! Elsa, maybe it's the tuft? :-) Atul, I'll go and check your pics if you have posted them. Indeed the nest and eggs is what made the spotting special. We spotted the nest as the bird kept flying back and forth from it.
Elsa
Great pic! Almost reminds me of a dinosaur (don't ask me why) in number one..
Atul
have a lot of pics of this bird , have usually captured it while fishing i had never seen its nesting site ,its great to see the nest and the eggs great spotting

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Birds of the World
Mission
Bio-diversity of UAE

Tags

Photographed
PublishedJune 1, 2011

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