Weston Turville Reservoir :: 23 August 2022

It had been, and was shaping up to continue to be, a busy week at work and so when reports of a purple heron at Weston Turville Reservoir dropped, I was a bit frustrated - by the time I packed up in the office and got there it would be dark. Kevin Heath and Nick Truby had both already set off and for an hour or two were also frustrated as the bird has been lost. Nick gave up but Kev toughed it out and was eventually rewarded as the bird took to the trees to roost - a life tick for him. The next morning Nick returned and had some great views and photos but nothing to match those of the Summers Leys bird last year.

Later at work it got to about 5.45pm and packed up at work having agreed to pick up my daughter from the train station at 6.00pm. We arrived home finding dinner was almost prepared and on the table soon after. I wolfed it down and asked for a pass to go to Weston Turville - approved.

I arrived at 7.30pm and hurried onto the dam finding Hasan Al-Farhan and Gyorgy Szimuly (Szimi) already on the bird. I set up my scope to have a look - the bird was on the edge of the reeds about 400m away - a nice year tick. A shout went up and we saw a very distant bittern fly back from the far reed bed and into the distance, eventually dropping down.

I bid my farewells to the other two and made my way around the reservoir behind the fishing pegs - I would be able to get closer views from here although photos would be increasingly challenged by the failing light. I reached the end peg and found that a young couple had decided that this was a good spot for courting and so I retreated one peg and joined a couple of fishermen - they were just returning a carp back into the water - 40lbs8oz! I set up the scope and scanned for the heron - it had moved - once I stopped weeping and cleared the tears from my eyes I swept the reeds and trees. Ahead of the platform was dense weed and he'd eventually had to wade out and land the fish on the far edge of the weed - fortunately he was dressed for the occasion. May this have been the event that had flushed the bird – he was a pleasant guy and just getting on with his hobby.

It took at least 5 minutes but eventually I located the purple heron in a distant tree on the opposite bank (225m away). I watched but the bird was in full “crouching tiger” mode, and I could only achieve record shots. By just after 8.00pm it was getting dim and I resolved that I wouldn't be getting anything better and returned to the dam.

I stopped at the dam, joining a group still watching the bird perch in the tree but it was back at greater distance and fading light and so I didn't stop long. By the time I reached Aylesbury it was already dark and the return to Banbury was uneventful.