Doñana Parque Nacional – Michael Norton

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My last day and I decided to have a very short morning walk to the lake behind the hotel, with the intention of getting the Little Bitterns in flight. The ever present Reed Warbler was my first encounter and the Little Bitterns were in the reeds. I spent the next hour shooting the reeds, the sky, the lake, part of a Little Bittern and blurred Little Bitterns, then bingo……… I managed to get off four shots on target.

Feeling very pleased with myself, I decided to amble along looking for the elusive, to me, Night Heron. Everyone else I spoke to had seen it. Reached the visitors centre with only a Magpie, so I went up on the balcony overlooking the lake and watched Glossy Ibis and Cattle Egret fetching twigs for their nests. All of a sudden something else caught my eye but I had to wait a while before it reappeared. Yes, it was the Black-crowned Night Heron. It took me a while to get some decent shots but what a finish to my holiday.