Visit to the wetlands

I was attending a business meeting the other day at a cafe in Beaconsfield and learnt that there were wetlands really close to the shopping strip there. Sure enough, as I walked back to the car park I discovered the wetland was right behind the car park. Naturally I couldn’t resist paying a short visit before heading back home.

Below is a white-faced heron that I was able to get relatively close to before it flew off.  I was delighted to have that opportunity.

The White–faced Heron, Egretta novaehollandiae, is also known as the White-fronted Heron and is mostly light blue-grey in colour, with a characteristic white face. In flight, the dark flight feathers of the wing contrast with the paler grey plumage, making this bird easily identifiable when viewed from below. It has a long, slim neck and a pointed grey-black bill. The legs are long and dull yellow in colour.  These are the most commonly seen herons in Australia.