City night herons

An interesting observation in the central Melbourne area last night (29 May 2005).

While riding our bikes out of the city along the Yarra River from Federation Square at about 7.30 pm local time, we observed several adult Rufous Night Herons foraging out in the open.

It was quite dark but the street and other lights enabled us to clearly identify the birds.  The night herons may have come from the adjacent botanic gardens where the species is known to roost during the day.