First record of Purple heron Ardea purpurea breeding in Menorca

After two years of suspicion, this summer has been confirmed for the first time the breeding of 2 or 3 pairs of Purple heron in Menorca.  This beautiful heron was considered as a few migrant and rare summer visitor not reproductive. There were some observations every year of solitary individuals in some marshes of the island but nobody had ever seen evidences of breeding.
For the last three years, Javier Méndez, our guide, and Joan Florit, both members of the Menorca Ornithological Society (SOM), have been observing the summer population of Purple heron in a small marsh. In 2011 and 2012 they controlled a little number of adults, between 3 and 6, all the breeding period but it was impossible to confirmed the breeding. Finally, this summer, they could take some pictures over the marsh with a little flying machine and they detected two nests with young birds, thereby confirming the breeding of Purple heron in this place.
This is the seventh water bird detected breeding in Menorca in the last years. A luxury for the island and bird lovers.