Black-crowned Night Heron

Rare Black-Crowned Night Heron Spotted at Holnicote Estate, Somerset, Highlighting Wetland Restoration

The rare black-crowned night heron was captured on cameras at Holnicote Estate in Somerset, marking one of the UK’s rare sightings and highlighting ongoing freshwater restoration led by the National Trust. The sighting is framed as validation of landscape-scale river and wetland work—beaver-assisted hydrology, wetland creation, and habitat restoration—that are boosting biodiversity and resilience to drought in the region.