(no subject)

[tiger_moran]

I don't have pics unfortunately but there's an unusual bird in the park near here where we go occasionally and I wonder if it's a melanistic grey heron. It's definitely heron-shaped with the long straight stabby beak and it's definitely a bird that hunts fish. It doesn't look like a cormorant in shape, the beak doesn't look like the right shape, but the colour is very dark grey or almost black, nothing like the regular grey herons (which we get flying overhead occasionally (also sitting on a rooftop nearby once) and I've also seen down on the ponds on the newer housing estate). If it's the same bird I've seen it twice, once flying around the lake last late summer or autumn and then today it was diving under the water repeatedly which supposedly is quite rare behaviour for herons but definitely does happen. I can't find any kind of bird that matches the shape and colour except possibly melanistic grey herons. (I don't think it's just a juvenile grey heron, it looks much darker than those and if it is the same bird then it's looked the same months apart too)