Superb view of black-crowned night heron - but it was in saleroom of North Yorkshire auction house!

That bird! (Photo: Tennants of Leyburn)

AMONG April's multiple British sightings of night heron, one Yorkshire example did not appear on the ornithological radar. 

This was the stuffed bird that was up for grabs at  an auction staged by Tennants at their saleroom in Leyburn earlier this month.

The catalogue states: "A full mount adult male stood upon a short dry tree branch, amidst a natural setting of reeds and grasses, set above a simulated pool of water, enclosed within a modern three-glass table display case, 35cm by 22cm by 47cm."

The pre-sale estimate was that it would fetch between £120 and £180, and the hammer came down at £160.

No details have been released of the vendor, nor the purchaser, nor the provenance of the bird.