Those finding themselves at the western corner of the San Lorenzo Golf Course lake, at Quinta do Lago, have been treated to an unexpected glimpse of a shy and equally unexpected guest as a Green Heron has made the area its home, albeit temporarily.
This small heron comes from North and Central America and is likely to have been blown in on the back of the recent windy weather that has been troubling the Atlantic.
This fine, if tired, example of Butorides virescens is a first for the Algarve although maybe not for Portugal as unconfirmed reports of another straggler came from Lisbon a couple of days ago.
The name is derived from from Middle English 'butor,' a ‘bittern’ and the Ancient Greek –‘oides,’ meaning ‘resembling.’ Add the Latin for ‘greenish’ and you have Butorides virescens.
These birds are extremely rare vagrants to western Europe, for example, a sighting in Pembrokeshire, Wales, in 2018 was only the second recorded sighting in Wales – ever.
The San Lorenzo Golf Course lake is a perfect habitat for the green heron as it lives usually in small low-lying wetland areas.
The species is most conspicuous at dusk and dawn, and the birds are pretty much nocturnal, preferring to retreat to sheltered areas in daytime.
The green heron mainly eats small fish and frogs but also may gobble up small creatures like leeches and mice.
Green herons fail spectacularly to mingle with other birds and prefer their own company, standing sentinel at the water’s edge, awaiting prey.
They are clever too, one of the few animals that uses tools to catch food. The green heron has mastered the art of dropping food, insects, or other small objects on the water's surface to attract fish that they then spear.
This feeding method has led some to title the green and the closely related striated heron, as among the world's most intelligent birds. They also are able to hover briefly to catch prey.
When a green heron catches a large frog, it will drown the frog before swallowing it whole.
Amazing what awaits people at San Lorenzo Golf Course...
Pictures © Frank McClintock, 2018
See also the Birding in Portugal photo gallery - HERE
