Goliath Heron, Fish River, Namibia

The Goliath Heron, also known as the giant heron, is the largest heron. It's a wading bird, of the family Ardeidae and is found in sub-Saharan Africa.

We drove from Lüderitz on the coast of Namibia, down to the Norotshama River Lodge in the Ausenkehr Valley today. We stopped for a short break, in intense heat, by the Fish River and saw this amazingly huge heron trying his luck. It was too hot to hang around for too long, at 1pm, so this was it! We guessed it was around 40°C. 

We'll be crossing back over the border into South Africa tomorrow, heading for Kamieskroon