Striated Heron(Butorides striata)

This bird is not much bigger than an Oystercatcher and is a common breeding resident. He's a skulker and is at home in coastal lagoons and mangroves. He may be small but he's an aggressive hunter and has a very effective tool to jab at small fish, look at the size of his dagger beak! Great to watch as he creeps up on shoals of fish and then spears them in a fast dramatic move. This one is an adult as the juveniles are striped all over and look a lot like Indian Pond Herons. Saw this one today at the coastal lagoon at Azaibah, I was on the look out for the Great White Pelican, which sadly has moved on and so far hasn't been spotted anywhere else in Muscat, so I was very lucky to see him. Pure luck, right place, right time!
Many, many thanks for all your encouraging comments with my burgeoning birds of Oman collection. I'm on half term holiday this week, so hoping to visit major birding locations down South.