Excitement continues in Mayo after rare heron sighting

A rare type of heron, the yellow-crowned night heron, has birdwatchers gathering in the village of Belcarra.

Birdwatchers from all over the world have been making their way to Mayo to catch a glimpse of the species of bird, never before seen in Ireland or the United Kingdom, and only one previous sighting of the bird has been recorded in Europe. 

Originating from North America, yellow-crowned night heron was first spotted in the village by local girl Lorraine Ryan Jennings on Sunday, May 26. 

News spread quickly and within 24 hours almost 50 bird watchers had arrived in the village from the UK. 

The ‘extraordinary’ sighting has been described as a 'once in a lifetime experience’ by bird and wildlife experts.

It is believed the bird may have arrived in the west of Ireland after getting caught up in the Atlantic hurricane system last Autumn, and it is unlikely the bird will ever be able to get back across the Atlantic alone.

 _{Belcarra NS pupils going to see ‘Lorrie’ the yellow crowned night herron (Photo: Trish Forde)}

Chairperson of the Belcarra Community Council Fionnan Nestor said it was ‘wonderful’ to see so many visitors flocking to the village to see the heron.

“We are so pleased to see so many people coming into the village to see the bird. This beautiful bird lives right along our Riverside walk and Biodiversity Trail, and we are delighted to be able to showcase this part of our village to all the visitors coming in,” he added.

The sighting of the bird has not just made headlines around Mayo, but national, even making it onto the RTÉ’s six-o-clock news on Tuesday.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Eric Dempsey of Birds Ireland photography said: "It's fine, it's doing well, it won't mate. But perhaps you know, genetically, that's a good thing. Because if it got blown off course, it may not have been the strongest. So, its genes were not passed on. And that's the way nature is - it's cruel in many ways.”

Mr Dempsey described the bird as a smaller version of a grey heron.

 "It's a chunky bird with a striking head pattern," he explained.

_{The yellow crowned night herron now residing in Belcara (Photo:Geraldine Nee)}

"Yellow-crowned night heron gives the false impression that it has this beautiful daffodil yellow crown. It's actually more creamy than yellow, and it has a black stripe through and a white stripe underneath its eye. Then it has lovely long plumes on its head," he continued.

Mr Dempsey said the bird does not scare, and is ‘the coolest bird you'll ever meet’.

The Belcarra community have embraced the presence of the yellow crowned night heron and are giving all the Twitchers a warm welcome, with the community and sports centres open daily to provide facilities for our very welcome birders.