‘Worrying’ heat brings rare birds to North Yorkshire reserve

“A lot of those traditional wetlands in the south of Europe, places like southern Spain, northern Italy, where night herons are native and are common, they’re starting to lose their habitat,” he said.

“If they lose their habitat they can’t feed, which means their breeding is unsuccessful.”

After their “increasing” numbers each year, Leadley said it looks like the birds are starting to colonise.

According to the trust, they breed mainly in continental Europe, heading south of the Sahara in autumn and often spending winters in Sub-Saharan and West Africa.

Despite the reasoning for their visit, the sight is bringing “real joy for Yorkshire birders”, with people travelling from across the area to try catch a glimpse.

Leadley said “early and late” are the best times to see them, but “there is a chance during the rest of the day if you look hard in the willow trees.”